Introduction

In this chapter I explore the role of narrative in the construction of hegemonic identities by analyzing two narratives told by members of a college fraternity who are male, heterosexual, white, and middle class. I show that these men rely on shared cultural knowledge, or Discourses (as discussed by Fairclough 1992; Foucault 1980a, 1988) to structure the crucial context for the interpretation and performance of their local narratives, a practice which also reinforces these Discourses. I also explore how the narratives help the speaker create a local stance with respect to his hearers, and then how the local stances, the narrator's “story self,” and Discourses interact to create identity and provide material for later identity performances. It is through this interaction among stances, identities, and Discourses, I argue, that hegemony works and Discourses circulate throughout society.

Hegemonic identities

I understand identity as a person's relationship to her/his social world, and I use the term “hegemonic identities” rather than “powerful identities” because people in hegemonic positions do not always feel powerful, and they in fact may not directly dominate anyone. Hegemony, as described by Gramsci (1994), involves maintaining dominant social positions through less obvious but more basic means than direct coercion: for example, by controlling the basic ideologies in a society rather than ruling by force.