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EN :

Rhetoric within narratives has been the focus of attention for several well-known scholars in the field of literary criticism. While other forms of writing, such as professional reports, have been analysed through the lens of narrative, the rhetoric therein has received little attention. Although the official position is that UK child protection proceedings are inquisitorial and evidence-based, it is possible to identify rhetorical practices in both narratives of professional reports and the court proceedings. Drawing on Aristotle’s Rhetoric, I will analyse rhetorically the expert pediatric reports presented in a case of alleged Munchausen syndrome by proxy, focusing in particular on ethos and pathos. In so doing, I will seek to illustrate how rhetoric permeates child protection proceedings and indicate how rhetorical analysis might aid the evaluation of evidence and testimony.

EN :

This paper is written as a reflection on an interdisciplinary course I have recently taught on adolescence. I begin by noting the difficulties of negotiating theoretical claims and disciplinary insights about adolescence with a more embodied understanding of how it feels to be an adolescent, which, I argue, helps to humanize and enrich discussions and debates over the parameters of adolescent experience. I describe two narratives that served as springboards for deeper affective considerations of adolescent experience in my course: Paul Feig's Freaks and Geeks (1999) and Alice Munro's series of short stories, The Lives of Girls and Women (1971). I conclude with a brief commentary on narrative ethics, which helps me contemplate the ways in which imaginative narrative is a strong addition to an interdisciplinary study course.

EN :

Attempts to understand difficult family relationships have ignored the inextricable links between positive and negative relationships. Narrative analysis provides insight into complex relationships within social context. We analysed interviews with older people in New Zealand using levels of narrativity to reveal the negotiations required to manage personal identity at the intersection of competing public narratives. Participants and interviewers used public narratives of family life that reinforce family roles while simultaneously drawing upon alternative narratives of identity and morality. Investigating narratives of difficult family relationships reveals the influence of dominant social norms on the negotiation of social identities through personal stories.

EN :

In this article, Anna’s occupational life history has been chosen to illustrate one woman’s personal and professional struggle for purpose and identity. Subjective construction is an on-going process and roles and identities are in a constant flux of coping with the tensions between continuity and change. By partaking of private as well as professional experiences, strategies used to maintain Anna’s personal integrity in changeable and often demanding contexts become clearer. Based on interviews, reflections, and discussions, Anna’s story provides authentic insights into the ways in which one teacher has learnt to cope with the demands and challenges in her life.