A Conversation Analytic Approach to Identity

Conversation Analysis is a qualitative research method based on naturally occurring talk-in-interaction.Its aim is to discover the common methods people use to implement social actions in social life.The identity from the conversation analytic perspective is a situated identity, which is indexical.Situated identity is invoked and achieved by conversational practices and has consequences on the moment-by-moment unfolding sequences of talk.For a study of identity in conversation analysis, the first step is to locate an identity-related practice.The second step is to demonstrate how interactants orient to that situated identity and to display the procedural consequentiality exerted by that situated identity.As a result of the preceding analysis, an interactional pattern is discovered indexing the relation between the conversational practice and the situated identity.The final step is to evidence the existence of the discovered pattern from the perspective of the interactants through an extra layer of deviant case analysis.