In the interest of learning from a unique and devastating disaster, this paper develops a conceptualisation of generalisation as a communicative process. Growing from the author’s experience of conducting and communicating an ethnographic case study of the community response to the Grenfell Tower disaster, a tower block fire which traumatised a West London community, and has been widely labelled an ‘unprecedented’ event, the paper considers ways of developing knowledge with wider application from this unique case. ‘Communicative generalisation’ is concerned with the significance of knowledge to epistemic communities rather than abstract universal truth. Four modes of communicative generalisation are explored. By elaborating the multi-perspectival nature of a case and its relation to its context, case studies may enrich readers’ generalised other. Case studies may address an epistemic community by problematising a taken-for-granted situation or theory. A case study can extend the situations to which it may transfer by multiplying its audiences, and thus forcing its authors to take multiple perspectives. It can also extend its meaningfulness by multiplying speakers, facilitating expressions of diverse perspectives on the case. ‘Communicative generalisation’ distributes the agency of generalisation among authors, cases and audiences. This redistribution has implications for the politics and temporality of generalisation.

中文翻译：

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交流概括：通过“史无前例”的灾难案例研究来推进知识的对话方式

为了从独特的毁灭性灾难中学习，本文将泛化概念化为一种交流过程。根据作者进行和交流社区应对格伦费尔塔灾难的人种学案例研究的经验，塔楼火灾给西伦敦社区带来了创伤，并被广泛标记为“史无前例的”事件，该论文考虑了从这个独特的案例中开发更广泛应用的知识。“交际概括”关注知识对认知共同体的重要性，而不是抽象的普遍真理。探讨了四种交际概括模式。通过详细阐述案例的多视角性质及其与上下文的关系，案例研究可以丰富读者的概括性他者。案例研究可以通过对理所当然的情况或理论进行问题化来解决认知共同体。案例研究可以通过增加受众来扩展它可能转移的情况，从而迫使其作者采取多种观点。它还可以通过增加发言者的数量来扩展其意义，促进对案件的不同观点的表达。“交流概括”在作者、案例和受众之间分配概括的代理。这种重新分配对概括的政治和时间具有影响。它还可以通过增加发言者的数量来扩展其意义，促进对案件的不同观点的表达。“交流概括”在作者、案例和受众之间分配概括的代理。这种重新分配对概括的政治和时间具有影响。它还可以通过增加发言者的数量来扩展其意义，促进对案件的不同观点的表达。“交流概括”在作者、案例和受众之间分配概括的代理。这种重新分配对概括的政治和时间具有影响。