A Narrative Search for Respect

Abstract

This article examines narratives of the self used by stigmatized people searching for respect on the streets of Oslo, Norway. The three narratives—“it was my own choice,” “I'm decent,” and “we're the same”—are embedded in conventional discourse. They are utilized in claims to be morally decent selves. Three different narratives—“I'm interesting,” “I'm smart,” and “I'm dangerous”—are embedded in the gangster discourse of a violent street subculture. They are utilized in order to appear as fascinating and competent. This ambivalent presentation of self challenges concepts such as “the code of the street” and “street culture.”

Notes

¹For a discussion of the use of the concept “respect” both in the human sciences and in social interaction see Buttny and Williams (2000).

²This may at first sight seem similar to Matza's (1964) “drifting theory.” Matza, however, describes the drift from being morally restrained to “freedom,” while in the present approach all narrative constructions are seen as restrained by the available cultural discourses.

³Moreover, in participant observation, “events” are narrated by observers, and hence rely on the same culturally shared categories of memory, account, narratives, and experience (Atkinson and Coffey 2003: 121).

⁴Other themes in the postmodern methodological literature include uncontroversial concerns about the blurring of the boundary between interviewers and interviewee, the introduction of new forms of communication and new topics of inquiry, more concern about whose stories are told, and an increasing concern with interviewees' own understanding (Fontana 2003). More radical concerns include experimenting with forms used to report findings (Fontana 2003), radically changing the center of attention from the research participant to the researcher (Gubrium and Holstein 2003b), and an increasing politicization of research (Denzin and Lincoln 2005). There are great differences within postmodern approaches to qualitative method, as illustrated between the different brick “handbooks.” Gubrium and Holstein's (2001) anthology is, for example, less radical and political than Denzin and Lincoln's (2005).

⁵Research participants were paid the equivalent of [euro]25–31 for participation. It can be argued that it is a cardinal rule of street life that you must never do anything for nothing (Wright and Decker 1994). More important, however, participants were a part of a marginalized group, had financial problems, and some lost income from drug dealing while being interviewed. It thus seemed respectful to recognize participation and time.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sveinung Sandberg

SVEINUNG SANDBERG, Ph.D., is a researcher in the Department of Sociology, University of Bergen. Research interests include street culture, street drug scenes, masculinity, violence, and illegal drugs.