A1 Journal article (refereed)
Speaking out against everyday sexism : Gender and epistemics in accusations of “mansplaining” (2021)
Joyce, J. B., Humă, B., Ristimäki, H.-L., Ferraz de Almeida, F., & Doehring, A. (2021). Speaking out against everyday sexism : Gender and epistemics in accusations of “mansplaining”. Feminism and Psychology, 31(4), 502-529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353520979499
JYU authors or editors
Publication details
All authors or editors: Joyce, Jack B.; Humă, Bogdana; Ristimäki, Hanna-Leena; Ferraz de Almeida, Fabio; Doehring, Ann
Journal or series: Feminism and Psychology
ISSN: 0959-3535
eISSN: 1461-7161
Publication year: 2021
Publication date: 02/02/2021
Volume: 31
Issue number: 4
Pages range: 502-529
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Publication country: United Kingdom
Publication language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353520979499
Publication open access: Openly available
Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel
Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/74485
Abstract
In everyday interaction, subtle manifestations of sexism often pass unacknowledged and become internalised and thus perceived as “natural” conduct. The introduction of new vocabularies for referring to previously unnamed sexist conduct would presumably enable individuals to start problematising hitherto unchallengeable sexism. In this paper, we investigate whether and how these vocabularies empower people to speak out against sexism. We focus on the use of the term “mansplaining” which, although coined over 10 years ago, remains controversial and contested. Using Conversation Analysis and Membership Categorisation Analysis, this paper excavates the interactional methods individuals use to formulate, in vivo, some prior spate of talk as mansplaining. In doing so, speakers necessarily reformulate a co-participant’s social action to highlight its sexist nature. Accusations of mansplaining are accomplished by invoking gender (and other) categories and their associated rights to knowledge. In reconstructing another’s conduct as mansplaining, speakers display their understanding of what mansplaining is (and could be) for the purpose at hand. Thus, the paper contributes to the well-established body of interactional research on manifestations of sexism by documenting how the normativity of epistemic rights is mobilised as a resource for bringing off accusations of mansplaining.
Keywords: sexism; social interaction; linguistic interaction; information; categories; gender; conversation analysis
Free keywords: mansplaining; sexism; social interaction; epistemics; categories; accusations; complaints; gender
Contributing organizations
Ministry reporting: Yes
Reporting Year: 2021
JUFO rating: 1