{"product_id":"telling-our-selves-ethnicity-and-discourse-in-southwestern-alaska","title":"Telling Our Selves: Ethnicity and Discourse in Southwestern Alaska","description":"\u003cp\u003eOur review of Telling Our Selves finds it a focused, ethnographic study best suited to readers interested in language, identity, and Alaska Native life; the single biggest reason to read it is its close analysis of everyday talk as a lens on how gender and ethnicity are negotiated in Bethel. Chase Hensel frames the work through conversations about hunting, fishing, and processing, showing that what matters in local discourse is not a simple native\/non-native split but how native someone is in particular contexts. This book reads as a rigorous academic review of social interaction and is valuable to scholars and informed general readers alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eKey Features\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnographic focus:\u003c\/strong\u003e Detailed conversational examples reveal how \u003cstrong\u003esubsistence talk\u003c\/strong\u003e constructs social identity in everyday interactions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnicity examined:\u003c\/strong\u003e The book explains how ethnicity is framed as degrees of nativeness rather than binary categories, helping readers understand local social logic.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGender and work:\u003c\/strong\u003e Attention to hunting, fishing, and processing highlights how \u003cstrong\u003egender identities\u003c\/strong\u003e are produced through practical activities and storytelling.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContextualized discourse:\u003c\/strong\u003e Analysis ties specific speech events to broader community practices, showing how language and subsistence interweave to recreate ethnicity.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRegional depth:\u003c\/strong\u003e Focus on Bethel and southwestern Alaska offers a clear, place-based case study useful for comparative work on indigenous communities in the Americas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWho It's For\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book is aimed at anthropologists, linguistic anthropologists, and graduate students who need a close account of how \u003cstrong\u003ediscourse\u003c\/strong\u003e and subsistence practices shape identity. It is also useful for historians and regional specialists seeking a grounded account of contemporary social life in southwestern Alaska.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReaders looking for a broad survey of Alaska Native history or a general-interest narrative should look elsewhere; the book is analytical and academic in tone, oriented toward readers comfortable with ethnographic description and discourse analysis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePros \u0026amp; Cons\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProvides concrete conversational evidence that clarifies how people negotiate identity in daily interaction.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLinks subsistence activities to broader social meanings, offering a clear model for analyzing similar communities.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFocuses on both gender and ethnicity, giving a multidimensional picture of social life in Bethel.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCons\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe academic style and close analytic focus may feel dense for casual readers seeking narrative history.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTitle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTelling Our Selves: Ethnicity and Discourse in Southwestern Alaska\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSeries\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAuthor\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eChase Hensel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRegional focus\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBethel, southwestern Alaska\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMain topics\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEthnicity, gender, subsistence discourse\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethod\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEthnographic discourse analysis\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eOur Verdict\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTelling Our Selves is recommended for specialists and advanced students who want a careful, context-rich study of how subsistence talk produces social categories; its value lies in detailed conversational analysis that connects practical activities to evolving ideas of nativeness and gender. For those audiences it represents good value as a focused case study and a methodological example for linguistic anthropology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFrequently Asked Questions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes this book focus on language examples?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book uses conversational data and discourse analysis to show how talk about subsistence activities constructs identity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it accessible to general readers?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is written in an academic style and is best suited to readers familiar with ethnography or linguistic anthropology rather than casual readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat geographic area does it cover?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe study centers on Bethel and southwestern Alaska, examining local social life through subsistence practices.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chase Hensel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48758230778075,"sku":"0195094778","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0724\/1043\/1707\/files\/61mySaAirUL._SL1360.jpg?v=1778324344","url":"https:\/\/gearmusthave.com\/products\/telling-our-selves-ethnicity-and-discourse-in-southwestern-alaska","provider":"GearMustHave","version":"1.0","type":"link"}