Mothers as stancetakers: Intertextuality in same-sex marriage debates in Taiwan

Abstract

This paper explores the Taiwanese same-sex marriage debates from a particular analytical perspective: (1) how the identity as a mother is employed as stancetaking moves in both the supporting and opposing discourses, and (2) how stances are taken through intertextual links among the same-sex marriage-related discourses and the larger discourses concerning motherhood. It examines the online posts of two mother bloggers, focusing on how evaluative stances and parodic frames are achieved and how intertextual links help both bloggers to align or misalign themselves with particular value positions. The analysis reveals how the mother identity, traditionally situated in the private sphere, can be mobilized to advance arguments in political debates. It also exemplifies the ideological contestation about motherhood and family in Taiwan, where traditional Chinese cultural ideologies and Western influences co-exist.

Framing and related concepts in interactional sociolinguistics

“…Su (2022) draws on notions of stance and framing in her analysis of online posts supporting and opposing same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Comparing posts by two Taiwanese mother bloggers, one for and one against, she shows that the blogger in favor of same-sex marriage linguistically creates parodic frames–primarily through the intertextual repetition of material drawn from posts of the other–to voice her perspective as part of a larger dialog.…”

“…This suggests that schemas regarding how particular contexts wherein changes in the social world are accomplished -not only hearings, but also political speeches, rallies, activists' social media posts, and so on -can be diverged from in ways that adjust the definition of the unfolding situation frame moment-to-moment, amplifying previously silenced voices and offering new possibilities for understanding. Su (2022) draws on notions of stance and framing in her analysis of online posts supporting and opposing same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Comparing posts by two Taiwanese mother bloggers, one for and one against, she shows that the blogger in favor of samesex marriage linguistically creates parodic frames-primarily through the intertextual repetition of material drawn from posts of the other-to voice her perspective as part of a larger dialog.…”