TY - JOUR PY - 2009// TI - A rehearsed self in repeated narratives? The case of two interviews with a former hooligan JO - Discourse studies A1 - Van de Mieroop, D. SP - 721 EP - 740 VL - 11 IS - 6 N2 - This article investigates the identity constructions of a former hooligan in two repeated narratives, obtained through interviews with a time lapse of six years. In both narratives, the interviewee constructs a similar heroic identity and opposes it to other categories such as cowards and followers. However, when relating how he became a hooligan, the interviewee presents himself as a follower. This contradiction with the heroic identity shows his struggle with group membership and that ‘identity work’ is an ongoing process. On the other hand, the striking similarity between the identity constructions in both interviews supports the thesis of a rehearsed self in big stories, but I argue that this is also due to other reasons, namely the role of the same interviewer who co-constructs the interview but who is also an outsider, and the influence of previous ‘rehearsals’ of the story, both within the group of hooligans and in real life.

LA - SN - 1461-4456 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1461445609347236 ID - ref1 ER -