CA and MCA to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): A case for motivated looking

Abstract

This article calls for greater engagement in research dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by scholars of language and social interaction, specifically those working with conversation analysis and membership categorization analysis (CA/MCA). It considers the affordances of CA/MCA for DEI-oriented inquiry, and, as DEI is a reflexive enterprise, the implications of DEI for CA/MCA. The article considers how DEI offers CA/MCA a major critique of conventional analytic practice, specifically in terms of CA's foundational principle of “unmotivated looking.” The concept of “motivated looking” is developed as a counterpoint, which can be used as a theoretical rationale for employing CA/MCA for research that has a priori analytic interests and/or a critical theoretical praxeological orientation.