Morality as a Discursive Accomplishment among Animal Rescue Workers

Abstract

A sociological view of moral decision making suggests that it is frequently an interactionally constructed product of the discourse of groups. Here we utilize ethnographically-derived email conversations to analyze the discursive construction of decisions among members of a volunteer group faced with a moral dilemma. We focus on their use of three key linguistic resources—moral vocabularies, moral rhetoric and moral narratives. We find each of these resources instrumental in constructing a discourse that allows groups to resolve such problems, while simultaneously shoring up group solidarity, protecting the basic principles the group, and salvaging the moral identities of its members.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert L. Young

ROBERT L. YOUNG received his Ph.D. in sociology with a specialization in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. Currently, he is Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas at Arlington. His areas of specialization include symbolic interactionism, social psychology and, most recently, human-animal studies. His publications, which cover such topics as the social psychology of gun ownership, attitudes toward the death penalty, the dynamics of social interaction, the sociology of language and discourse, human-animal interaction and non-human animal cognition, appear in a variety of journals, including Symbolic Interaction, Social Psychology Quarterly, Social Forces, Criminology, Deviant Behavior and Society and Animals.

Carol Y. Thompson

CAROL Y. THOMPSON is a professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Texas Christian University. She researches issues related to stigma, gender and social control, conflict and social space, and the social and cultural importance of human-animal relationships. She has published in such journals as Society © Animals, Journal for Critical Animal Studies, Studies in Symbolic Interaction, Criminology, Sociological Quarterly, Sociological Inquiry, Perspectives on Social Problems, and the Journal of Sport and Social Issues.