The compass of friendship
Subtitle: narratives, identities, and dialogues
By: William K. Rawlins.
Publisher: Sage Publications; SAGE Publications, Inc
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Thousand Oaks, Calif
Language: eng
Format: Trade Paperback
Number of pages: 235
ISBN-13: 9781412952965; 9781412952972
Subjects: Interpersonal communication; Friendship; Interpersonal relations
Description: "Exploring how friends use dialogue and storytelling to construct identities, deal with differences, make choices, and build inclusive communities, The Compass of Friendship examines communication dialectically across private, personal friendships as well as public, political friendships. Author William K. Rawlins uses compelling examples and cases from literature, films, dialogue and storytelling between actual friends, student discussions of cross-sex friendships, and interviews with interracial friends. Throughout the book, he invites readers to consider such questions as: What are the possibilities for enduring, close friendships between men and women? How far can friendship's practices extend into public life to facilitate social justice? What are the predicaments and promises of friendships that bridge racial boundaries? How useful and realistic are the ideals and activities of friendship for serving the well-lived lives of individuals, groups, and larger collectives?" "The Compass of Friendship is appropriate for use in courses in Advanced Interpersonal Communication, Friendship Communication, Communication in Interpersonal Relationships, Relational Communication, Social and Personal Relationships, Dialogue and Communication, Social Identities and Communication Ethics."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : living friendship -- Perceiving similarities and differences -- Negotiating contexts, making choices, and creating meanings -- Constructing similarities and differences of self and others -- Achieving and (mis)perceiving identities through the dialectic of individuation and participation -- Categories and identity construction -- Modes of the dialectic of individuation and participation. Individuation -- Participation -- Storytelling between friends -- Practicing dialogue between friends -- Narratives, dialogues, and friendships -- Interweaving narrative and dialogue in discourses of friendship -- Conclusion -- Making meanings with friends : two women’s storytelling and dialogue. Beginning the conversation and the story of Karen and Chris’s friendship -- Narrating diverging life paths -- Sharing stories of divorces and traveling together -- Side two of the tape : conversing about pets and policies -- Performing a dialogue of narratives about conjunctive freedoms -- Interweaving narratives and dialogue in the talk of two friends -- Debating cross-sex friendship. Differences between females and males that enhance cross-sex friendships -- Differences between females and males that undermine cross-sex friendships -- Mutually defined boundaries and common interests facilitating cross-sex friendships -- Desire and inevitable sexual tensions overcoming spoken definitions of cross-sex friendships -- Other relationships and social conditions that facilitate cross-sex friendships -- Other relationships and social conditions that subvert cross-sex friendships -- Addressing students’ positions on cross-sex friendship. Sexism, gendered performances, sexual identities, and cross-sex friendships -- The comparative significance of friendship and romantic love -- Conclusion -- Constrained cross-race friendship -- Blacks and whites engaging in friendships : asymmetrical challenges and edifying practices -- Recognizing meaningfully whole persons and contingent identities --Accomplishing cross-race friendship. Nathan’s story -- Felmonia and Tina -- Brad and Tyrone -- Making choices, learning lessons, and serving social becoming through cross-race friendships -- Ethical practices of friendships -- Political practices of friendships -- Friendships and social change -- Limitations of political friendships -- The compass of friendship.