Gossip and the Everyday Production of Politics

Although gossip is disapproved of across the world's societies, it is a prominent feature of sociality, whose role in the construction of society and culture cannot be overestimated. In particular, gossip is central to the enactment of politics: through it people transform difference into inequality and enact or challenge power structures. Based on the author's intimate ethnographic knowledge of Nukulaelae Atoll, Tuvalu, this work uses an analysis of gossip as political action to develop a holistic understanding of a number of disparate themes, including conflict, power, agency, morality, emotion, locality, belief, and gender. It brings together two methodological traditions—the microscopic analysis of unelicited interaction and the macroscopic interpretation of social practice—that are rarely wedded successfully.Drawing on a broad range of theoretical resources, Niko Besnier approaches gossip from several angles. A detailed analysis of how Nukulaelae's people structure their gossip interactions demonstrates that this structure reflects and contributes to the atoll's political ideology, which wavers between a staunch egalitarianism and a need for hierarchy. His discussion then turns to narratives of specific events in which gossip played an important role in either enacting egalitarianism or reinforcing inequality. Embedding gossip in a broad range of communicative practices enables Besnier to develop a nuanced analysis of how gossip operates, demonstrating how it allows some to gain power while others suffer because of it. Throughout, he is particularly attentive to the ways in which anthropologists themselves are the subject and object of gossip, making his work a notable contribution to reflexive social science.Written in an engaging and accessible style, Gossip and the Everyday Production of Politics will appeal to students and scholars of political, legal, linguistic, and psychological anthropology; social science methodology; communication, conflict, gender, and globalization studies; and Pacific Islands studies. Winner of the BAAL (British Association for Applied Linguistics) Book Prize, 2010 Although gossip is disapproved of across the world's societies, it is a prominent feature of sociality, whose role in the construction of society and culture cannot be overestimated. In particular, gossip is central to the enactment of through it people transform difference into inequality and enact or challenge power structures. Based on the author's intimate ethnographic knowledge of Nukulaelae Atoll, Tuvalu, this work uses an analysis of gossip as political action to develop a holistic understanding of a number of disparate themes, including conflict, power, agency, morality, emotion, locality, belief, and gender. It brings together two methodological traditions - the microscopic analysis of unelicited interaction and the macroscopic interpretation of social practice - that are rarely wedded successfully. Drawing on a broad range of theoretical resources, Niko Besnier approaches gossip from several angles. A detailed analysis of how Nukulaelae's people structure their gossip interactions demonstrates that this structure reflects and contributes to the atoll's political ideology, which wavers between a staunch egalitarianism and a need for hierarchy. His discussion then turns to narratives of specific events in which gossip played an important role in either enacting egalitarianism or reinforcing inequality. Embedding gossip in a broad range of communicative practices enables Besnier to develop a nuanced analysis of how gossip operates, demonstrating how it allows some to gain power while others suffer because of it. Throughout, he is particularly attentive to the ways in which anthropologists themselves are the subject and object of gossip, making his work a notable contribution to reflexive social science. This Text Uses An Analysis Of Gossip As Political Action To Develop An Understanding Of Disparate Themes, Including Conflict, Power, Agency, Morality, Emotion And Gender. It Brings Together Two Methodological Traditions - Microscopic Analysis Of Unelicited Interaction And Macroscopic Interpretation Of Social Practice. Orthography And Transcription Conventions -- 1. Gossip, Hegemony, Agency -- 2. The World From A Cooking Hut -- 3. Hierarchy And Egalitarianism -- 4. Morality And The Structure Of Gossip -- 5. The Twenty-dollar Piglets -- 6. The Two Widows -- 7. Sorcery And Ambition -- 8. Gossip And The Everyday Production Of Politics. Niko Besnier. Published With The Support Of The School Of Pacific And Asian Studies, University Of Hawaiʻi--p. Facing T.p. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 213-240) And Index. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Orthography and Transcription Conventions......Page 14 1 Gossip, Hegemony, Agency......Page 16 2 The World from a Cooking Hut......Page 44 3 Hierarchy and Egalitarianism......Page 79 4 Morality and the Structure of Gossip......Page 109 5 The Twenty-Dollar Piglets......Page 135 6 The Two Widows......Page 158 7 Sorcery and Ambition......Page 181 8 Gossip and the Everyday Production of Politics......Page 204 Notes......Page 210 References......Page 228 Index......Page 256