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Living Truth: a Reading in Social and Sociological Hermeneutics

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Living Truth: a Reading in Social and Sociological Hermeneutics Living Truth: A reading in social and sociological hermeneutics Ashley Barnwell A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social Sciences Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences 2014 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Barnwell First name: Ashley Other name/s: Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: SOCA9000 School: Social Sciences Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences Title: Uving Truth: A reading in social and sociological hermeneutics Abstract: In social theory, as in everyday life, we are faced with the question of how to account for the seemingly unaccountable complexity of lives that are not all of one piece with methods that are similarly dissonant. Drawing attention to such a representational challenge, this thesis explores the ethical, sociological, and political dimensions of both social and academic truth· telling and verification practices. Focusing on questions of method. and the recent turn from critique to affect theory specifically, this study parses out underlying questions about how we determine what will and will not qualify as a complex field, a proper genre, or an affective impulse; as well as how these decisions work to shape and produce particular realities. To foreground the living contestation that animates questions of truth, the thesis opens with a case study about veteran imposture, the Stolen Valour Act. and public debates about who has the right to claim particular life stories. Autobiography hoaxes are routinely read as a breach of the line between fact and fiction, however, as this chapter illustrates, they also draw out underlying social conflicts about authorship and propriety and alert us to the dynamism of seemingly rigid genre laws. Building on this investigation into social authorship, chapter two tracks the ongoing disciplinary irresolution in the sociology of literature, and discovers that scholarly projects seeking to address the ideological rift between felt and factual truths are similarly unsure about what constitutes authentic represen tation. Dilating upon this intriguing parallel, the final three chapters offer a sustained analysis of the affective turn's theoretical and methodological directives, which propose that in order to tease out the nuances of experience we must discard methods of close reading, judgement, and truth· seeking, to take up new. affect-oriented, experimental practices. Together, these chapters examine whether such a shift can alleviate critical exclusion, or if it co ntinues to circumscribe which methods can hold intellectual and practical value. Through a series of close readings, this thesis reframes recent methodological manifestos not as appeals for newness, or hope for solutions. but as a continuation of debates about discipline, methodology, ethics, and th e nature of veracity. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also au thorise Univers;ty Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Di ssertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). J~J<~ J ~I·:t .......... .. Signature Witness Date FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: ORIGINALITY STATEMENT 'I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution. except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others. with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content o f this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.' Signed .......... ·IJ>..c:::.~~~~......::::;.........-:-: Date ............. ~~ . .;.<;.j.~l.~ .................... Abstract In social theory, as in everyday life, we are faced with the question of how to account for the seemingly unaccountable complexity of lives that are not all of one piece with methods that are similarly dissonant. Drawing attention to such a representational challenge, this thesis explores the ethical, sociological, and political dimensions of both social and academic truth- telling and verification practices. Focusing on questions of method, and the recent turn from critique to affect theory specifically, this study parses out underlying questions about how we determine what will and will not qualify as a complex field, a proper genre, or an affective impulse; as well as how these decisions work to shape and produce particular realities. To foreground the living contestation that animates questions of truth, the thesis opens with a case study about veteran imposture, the Stolen Valour Act, and public debates about who has the right to claim particular life stories. Autobiography hoaxes are routinely read as a breach of the line between fact and fiction, however, as this chapter illustrates, they also draw out underlying social conflicts about authorship and propriety and alert us to the dynamism of seemingly rigid genre laws. Building on this investigation into social authorship, chapter two tracks the ongoing disciplinary irresolution in the sociology of literature, and discovers that scholarly projects seeking to address the ideological rift between felt and factual truths are similarly unsure about what constitutes authentic representation. Dilating upon this intriguing parallel, the final three chapters offer a sustained analysis of the affective turn’s theoretical and methodological directives, which propose that in order to tease out the nuances of experience we must discard methods of close reading, judgement, and truth-seeking, to take up new, affect-oriented, experimental practices. Together, these chapters examine whether such a shift can alleviate critical exclusion, or if it continues to circumscribe which methods can hold intellectual and practical value. Through a series of close readings, this thesis reframes recent methodological manifestos not as appeals for newness, or hope for solutions, but as a continuation of debates about discipline, methodology, ethics, and the nature of veracity. i Acknowledgments During the process of writing this thesis I have been supported and encouraged by mentors, colleagues, and friends. Most importantly, I thank my supervisor, Vicki Kirby, for her faith in my argument. It is difficult to convey the extent of my gratitude to her – she has taught me to think and to write. But, more than this, she has inspired me to be curious about the world, to be loyal to my questions, and to make intellectual work a vocation. The unwavering acuity, richness, and honesty of her supervision has been invaluable. I am also grateful to my co-supervisor Helen Pringle, Melanie White, Ursula Rao, Andrew Metcalfe, Dominic Fitzsimmons, Jamie Roberts, and Peta Hinton for their time, reading suggestions, and professional mentorship over the past few years. My colleagues and friends in the Post-graduate Research Lab have supported me in ways both big and small. In reading and writing groups my fellow students have offered me valuable insight and feedback. But I was equally nourished by squandered office hours spent swapping recipes, secrets, and favourite albums. Patricia Morgan, Michelle Jamieson, and Florence Chiew have been peer mentors to me – sharing their wisdom and working methods. I am also grateful for the friendship and daily presence of Will Johncock, Rosemary Grey, Maia Gunn Watkinson, Emilie Auton, Yvette Selim, Rebecca Pearse, Anisha Guatam, Jac Dalziell, Rhonda Sui, Ele Jansen, Zoe Baker, Ozzie Etminan, and Scott McBride. Special thanks to Lorraine Burdett for her humour and proofreading skills. During the final stage of this project I was supported by a summer scholarship at the National Library of Australia, generously funded by John and Heather Seymour. On the edge of Lake Burley Griffin I found the solitude and space needed to draw together the final threads of my thesis. I am very grateful to the NLA for this opportunity. Finally, my greatest debt is to my family for their excitement about and pride in my efforts; my dear friend Moira McKenzie for her warmth and interest; and to Joseph Cummins for his daily care, his intellectual provocations, his stoic advice, his honesty, and his love. ii Contents Abstract i Acknowledgments ii Introduction 1 I. Telling the Truth: The Complicity of Social Authorship 10 II. Reading Life’s Literature: A Question of Method 36 III. Evidence in Flux: Verifying Affect 76 IV. The Crisis of “Non-Representation” 124 V. Ordinary Paranoia: An Everyday Hermeneutics of Suspicion 162 Conclusion 191 References 204 Warnings about relativism to the contrary, truth is still what most of us strive for. Partial and insecure
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