Disposable lives

This paper reports one key finding of a larger case study critical discourse analysis of a youth-led research project. A model of 20 care-related conceptual dimensions, utilizing a variety of linguistic tools was applied to the responses to five questions asked of youth in the original study. This paper explores one of the three core findings that were identified by the nested analytical approach. The three meta themes of the original research were: a regulated reality, a disposable life and a stained identity. This paper reports on the theme of a disposable life. It draws on that analysis, demonstrating content, frame, and textual analyses of the spoken text of these young people.