Abstract
In older Japanese women’s conversational interactions associated with psychologically challenging conditions such as experiences of illness and a husband’s death, there are segments told from a quotidian (or ordinary) perspective, i.e. a perspective that is affectively incongruous with the situation. With this quotidian (re)framing of their “painful” experiences, the participants collaboratively construct a quotidian positioning and stance, rather than the position that may be socially or contextually expected in the event or situation described in the conversation. This paper elaborates on the composition and social meaning of quotidian stance, referring to concepts such as frames, positioning, and stancetaking. The important psychological and social aspects of quotidian stancetaking in verbal interaction will be highlighted. One is that the performance of being quotidian in the context of retelling “painful” stories can index participants’ psychological resilience in difficult and extraordinary situations. This can help the participants regain normality in abnormal situations. Another is that such quotidian performance against the backdrop of the socially-held negative stereotypes of older people can index defiance to such sociocultural expectations.
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