Professional Vision and the Invisible Child: Storytelling in Child Custody Disputes
Professional Vision and the Invisible Child: Storytelling in Child Custody Disputes

Summary/Abstract: This paper is a contribution to a Festschrift for Charles Goodwin, a friend of mine for more than twenty-five years, and a constant source of inspiration, both academically and as someone who has again and again opened up his friends’ eyes for novel or partly unknown landscapes: in new technology, the arts and life. In a seminal paper on professional vision, Chuck Goodwin (1994), illuminated how seeing and knowing are inextricably grounded in everyday practices that are often crucial features of the mastery of a profession, be it that of an archaeologist or a policeman. In the infamous Rodney King case, discussed in detail in his presentation and discussion of professional vision, contested vision is at the very core of the legal argumentation. But issues like – ‘who was beaten by whom?’ – are of course central in many professional practices, ranging from teachers’ examination of children’s fights to police investigations and courtroom talk.

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