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The Communication Of Morality: Cooperation And Commitment In A Food Co-Op, Teresa G. Labov

Teresa G Labov

Doctoral dissertation of Teresa Gnasso Labov. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Political Science at Columbia University, 1980. This study investigates the communication of morality in the verbal behavior of a group. Patterns of interaction among members of a food cooperative are examined to find evidence of their use of moral matters in talk. Structural changes in the organization reduced the extent of cooperation and commitment demanded of participants, yet there was apparently little talk of these moral matters. Closer examination of the talk reveals a number of …