Stance and intertextuality in written discourse

Abstract

Previous theory of social aspects of intertextual meanings has not fully examined the role of cultural meanings inherent in writers' or readers' ideological stances. The purpose of this study of intertextuality in teachers' peer dialogue journal exchanges was to determine how intertextual meanings are constituted by partners' cultural attitudes or stance that link disparate aspects of journals. It also examined the degree to which teachers were willing to explore ambivalences associated with their stance. And, it examined the influence of teachers' social relationships on their willingness to challenge each other's ideas and opinions. Results of the analysis of two pairs of teachers exchanging entries in a composition methods course indicated that each pair explored intertextual meanings in terms of a particular stance. Two female teachers explored the relationships between journal writing, gender differences, and their own personal experiences in terms of a feminist stance. Two male teachers examined the relationships between student behavior, school rules, and their own classroom behavior in terms of their stance towards teaching. In both cases, having developed a strong social relationship through their exchanges, teachers were willing to challenge each other and to explore ambivalences associated with their stances.