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En sociedades diferenciadas con redes sociales de largo alcance pero fragmentadas, la habilidad de manejar la ambigüedad es crucial para navegar órdenes dominantes. En este artículo sostenemos que las identidades, para aumentar su control a través de cambios de redes y dominios (netdoms), manejan una ambigüedad creciente a través de las propiedades indéxicas y reflexivas del lenguaje. Explicamos variaspropiedades—metapragmática, heteroglosia, y poética—y afirmamos que éstas rara vez constituyen actuaciones inocentes de creación de consenso en la reproducción de los órdenes sociales. Al contrario, el lenguaje está inherentemente implicado en relaciones de dominación. Así, argumentamos que el control metapragmático de historias adquiridas en incontables cambios de netdoms conduce a posiciones firmes que aseguran recursos y oportunidades; que las retóricas que incluyen fértiles voces heteroglósicas a través de agujeros estructurales generan historias que se pueden transponer reflexivamente a otras arenas institucionales; y que el control poético de estilos lingüísticos puede transformar identidades en leyes potenciales con posiciones que se desacoplan en prismas para preservar su calidad. Nuestra meta es doble: Primero, mostrar que la reflexividad e indexicalidad del lenguaje emergen en multitud de cambios a través de netdoms; y segundo, demostrar que el lenguaje indéxico y reflexivo es crítico en las luchas de las identidades por el control—deposiciones y dominación—a través de cambios de netdoms que se polimerizan rápidamente. Abstract: In highly differentiated societies with far-reaching yet fragmented social networks, such as post-industrial societies, the ability to manage and sustain pervasive ambiguity in daily interactions is crucial to navigate domination orders. Identities —from individuals to organizations—struggle to reflexively control decoupling and contradictory demands through switchings across entangled social networks and interpretive domains (hereafter netdoms).2 At times strong interactional footings or other competitive edges may emerge through successful albeit temporary juggling of disjointed framings across netdom switchings. Moreover, to manage mounting ambiguity and contradiction across rapidly polymerizing netdoms skillful innuendo and indirect language is used. Thus increasing netdom complexities in contemporary societies seem to proceed along ever more virtuoso meta-communicative performances that can reframe volatile and unpredictable mutual expectations (e.g., workplaces with downsizing risks, job markets following fickle trends, gender relation uncertainties, fast-paced multicultural daily interactions). We in the 21st century inhabit social worlds that are sustained by fleeting arts of phenomenological epoché in connection with rapidly shifting netdom configurations.

Este artículo esboza cómo el proceso social se lleva a cabo dentro, desde, y alrededor de redes de pares de relaciones. Estas relaciones se caracterizan por historias que se cuentan dentro y acerca de ellas, con significados que surgen de cambios entre netdoms. Debido a que los entornos y sus cambios son incesantemente variados, aquí nos ceñiremos a una descripción abstracta y general. Los prototipos técnicos y substantivos (e.g., Padgett y McLean 2006;Lazega 2001) y los sondeos que ya existen pueden servir de guía al lector para implementaciones específicas. Es conveniente sustituir frecuentemente el término general de identidad por el de persona. Abstract: This article sketches how social process plays out into, from, and around networks of pair relations. These relations are characterized by stories told in and of them, with meanings from switchings between netdoms. Since settings and the switchings among them are endlessly varied, description here is kept abstract and general. Existing technical and substantive prototypes (e.g., Padgett and McLean 2006; Lazega 2001) and canvasings can guide the reader for particular implementations. It is convenient here often to substitute person for the general term identity.

In differentiated societies with far-reaching yet fragmented social networks, the ability to manage pervasive ambiguity is crucial to navigate domination orders. In this paper we contend that identities, to enhance their control through switchings across networks and domains (netdoms), manage growing ambiguity via language’s reflexive and indexical features. We elaborate on several features—metapragmatics, heteroglossia, and poetics—and assert that they are seldom innocent performances to build consensus in the reproduction of social orders. On the contrary, language is inherently implicated in relations of domination. We then argue that metapragmatic control of stories acquired in countless netdom switchings leads to strong footings that secure resources and opportunity; that rhetorics that include rich heteroglossic voicing via structural holes generate stories that can be reflexively transposed to other institutional arenas; and that poetic control of speech styles may transform identities into power-law constellations with robust footing that decouple into prisms to preserve quality. Our goal is to twofold: First, to show that the reflexivity and indexicality of language emerges from myriad switchings across netdoms; and second, to demonstrate that reflexive and indexical language is critical to identities’ struggles for control—of footing and domination—via their switchings across rapidly polymerizing netdoms.

This article sketches how social process plays out into, from, and around networksof pair relations. These relations are characterized by stories told in and of them,with meanings from switchings between netdoms. Since settings and the switchingsamong them are endlessly varied, description here is kept abstract and general.Existing technical and substantive prototypes (e.g., Padgett and McLean 2006;Lazega 2001) and canvasings can guide the reader for particular implementations.It is convenient here often to substitute person for the general term identity.