Présences, observations, énonciations (in)discrètes: face négative et déclinaison modale de la participation au social

Viewed as a catalyst of affects during interactions, (in)discretion can illuminate the alternation between accord and conflict concerning the mutual protection of face, particularly in the context of the private or intimate space. Indeed, while discretion seems to ensure respect for vulnerabilities, indiscretion affects a mobile but ever-present limit of identity irritation. However, it’s important to note that indiscretion is not always discredited; it can be perceived as a strategic calculation to restore a sensitive incarnation to the masks that protect institutional roles, to such an extent that it can serve as a weapon to demystify societal hypocrisy and unveil reprehensible behavior. In this sense, our research aims to investigate the declension of (in)discretion in terms of three dimensions: presence, observation, and enunciation, based on the actantial roles and the topics that are locally associated with it, while leveraging literary texts (e.g. France and China) to respectively exemplify the delicacies of discretion and the possible rudeness of indiscretion. Regardless, the fact of living together cannot be reduced to formal society and its laws, and therefore, (in)discretion could draw the margins of an ethic contact.