Media and Communication Ph.D. Dissertations

Redefining The Rules: Examining The Role Of Critical Etiquette As A Feminist Tool Of Empowerment

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Media and Communication

First Advisor

Lisa Hanasono (Advisor)

Second Advisor

Angela Ahlgren (Other)

Third Advisor

Sandra Faulkner (Committee Member)

Fourth Advisor

Alberto González (Committee Member)

Abstract

Historically, dominant discourse on etiquette in the United States has centered white, patriarchal, and classist ideals, consequently excluding marginalized groups. This dissertation centers the experiences of those who have been historically marginalized using Orbe's (1998; 2023) co-cultural theory as a framework. The two research questions ask how and in what contexts do co-cultural mothers and daughters conform to and oppose dominant etiquette rules. A cohort of 17 mother-daughter dyads completed a demographic questionnaire and in-depth interviews about their experiences with etiquette. Findings from a critical thematic analysis (Lawless & Chen, 2019) revealed how co-cultural mothers and daughters conform to traditional etiquette rules through five themes: (1) being patient with people, (2) letting other people take the lead, (3) code-switching, (4) being nice to servers, and (5) treating elders with respect. Eleven themes revealed how participants resist traditional etiquette rules: (1) safety as a right, (2) children navigate their own dress, (3) standing up for oneself and others in the face of injustice, (4) going above and beyond with courtesy to traditionally marginalized people, (5) emphasizing principled and practical guidelines, (6) relaxing formal rules, (7) not code-switching, (8) asking others to recognize their privilege, (9) pushing back on tipping at restaurants, (10) questioning gender expectations, and (11) using curse words effectively. Collectively, these eleven themes served as the foundation for the creation of critical etiquette, which can be defined as guidelines of social behavior that are highly reflexive and attuned to the differential impact of the application or performance of these guidelines. Created by members of marginalized groups, critical etiquette provides a framework for disrupting unjust notions of traditional etiquette, and it challenges members of the dominant group to educate and enact critical etiquette to make society a more inclusive place. Findings also revealed how co-cultural members’ decision to conform to or resist traditional etiquette rules were informed by two different contexts. Furthermore, this project identifies extensions of co-cultural theory and a collection of practical strategies that co-cultural members can enact to resist dominant etiquette rules and navigate interpersonal interactions in dominant cultural settings and close culture settings.

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