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Article published In:
Journal of Argumentation in Context
Vol. 9:3 (2020) ► pp.315–341

“Well, in the case of my mom…”

Personal stories as negotiable arguments in public forums

| Kettering Foundation
| Kansas State University

This article is guided by the question: What are the argumentative functions of personal stories in public deliberations? Drawing on the analytical traditions of argumentation theory and discourse analysis, we analyzed three public forums on mental illness, where personal stories were used in a number of argumentative functions. Our analysis reveals that in a deliberative forum personal stories were used as negotiable arguments rather than as mere assertions of individual experience. Personal stories were primarily used as arguments by example to challenge the framing proposed by the moderator and to pitch problem definitions that participants considered most relevant. In this function, personal stories were alternatively engaged as inductive or abductive arguments by other forum participants. Additionally, personal stories were used to support solution proposals and to uphold social ideals.

Keywords: argumentative function, personal story, public deliberation, narrative, argument by example
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Personal stories as a prominent feature of public deliberation
    • 2.1Narrative arguments by example
  • 3.Method for analyzing personal stories
    • 3.1Forum participants
    • 3.2Analytical categories
    • 3.3Personal stories vs. personal concern vs. generic narratives
  • 4.Analysis
    • 4.1Effects of issue framing on forum dynamics
    • 4.2Pragmatic functions of personal story arguments
      • 4.2.1Challenging the moderator’s framing
      • 4.2.2Supporting a solution, projecting an ideal
      • 4.2.3Identity statement
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 17 December 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jaic.19005.luk
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