Causality and place in interactional narrative practice: the macro-story of violence in the neighborhood

With an orientation towards the new frontiers in studies of everyday life narratives (CARRANZA, 2010, 2015a; WORTHAM; RHODES, 2015), this paper proposes considering macro-story to be the result of integrating a set of narratives into a collage story which is assembled by the receiver and from the receiver's perspective, just as is done in some institutional procedures. The observed social practice belongs to the judicial domain, it is carried out at a district attorney office and encompasses the reception of depositions for the preparation of a criminal case. The methodology applied includes ethnographic fieldwork, narrative analysis and the use of visual and statistical information which enhances the interpretation of the narrated events and of the experiences in the place of residence. The present study reveals the importance of the causal connections established in the diegetic world and the meanings associated with the dimension of place. It also shows the usefulness of observing series of connected speech events and exploring the textual sets and trajectories that emerge from them.