Margaret S. Archer is Professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick. An internationally respected social theorist, she was the first woman to become President of the international Sociological Association and is a former editor of Current Sociology. Previous publications for Cambridge University Press include Culture and agency (1988), Realist social Theory (1995) and Being Human : The Problem of Agency (2000).
Structure, Agency and the Internal Conversation
Par :Formats :
- Nombre de pages370
- FormatGrand Format
- PrésentationBroché
- Poids0.615 kg
- Dimensions15,1 cm × 22,8 cm × 2,5 cm
- ISBN0-521-53597-2
- EAN9780521535977
- Date de parution28/08/2003
- ÉditeurCambridge University Press
Résumé
The central problem of social theory is "structure and agency". How do the objective features of society influence human agents ? Determinism is not the answer, nor is conditioning. For while conditioning accentuates the way structure and culture shape the social context in which the individual operates, it neglects our personal capacity to define what we care about most and to establish a modus vivendi expressive of our concerns.
Through inner dialogue, "the internal conversation", individuals reflect upon their social situation in the light of current concerns and projects. On the basis of a series of unique, in-depth interviews, Archer identifies three distinctive forms of internal conversation. These govern agents' responses to social conditioning, their individual patterns of social mobility and whether or not they contribute to social stability or change.
Thus the internal conversation is seen as being the missing link between society and the individual, structure and agency.
Through inner dialogue, "the internal conversation", individuals reflect upon their social situation in the light of current concerns and projects. On the basis of a series of unique, in-depth interviews, Archer identifies three distinctive forms of internal conversation. These govern agents' responses to social conditioning, their individual patterns of social mobility and whether or not they contribute to social stability or change.
Thus the internal conversation is seen as being the missing link between society and the individual, structure and agency.
