Concepts of the self / Anthony Elliott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Elliott, Anthony, 1964-

Series:

Key concepts

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Self.

Physical Description:

ix, 185 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

Second edition, revised and updated.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity, 2008.

Summary:

This new and updated edition of Concepts of the Self remains the most lively, lucid and compelling introduction to contemporary controversies over the self and self-identity in the social sciences. Written by an author of international reputation, the book concentrates mainly on the work of social theorists and cultural analysts who have attempted to place the self in relation to psychological processes, social contexts and historical perspectives. Mead, Freud, Goffman, Foucault, Chodorow, Kristeva and Baudrillard are among the figures covered; the new edition also introduces material on Zizek. Elliott also connects debates about the self directly to identity politics, the sociology of personal relationships and intimacy, and the politics of sexuality.

The book focuses upon cultural and political issues, and breaks new ground in integrating interdisciplinary perspectives. In analysing debates about the self, Elliott draws extensively on contemporary social and cultural theory. Among the traditions of thought discussed are symbolic interactionism, modern sociology, post-structuralist thought, feminist and queer theory, psychoanalysis, and postmodernism.

Elliott reviews core concepts of the self through an analysis of several connected themes: the complex relation between self and society, the importance of the interpreting self in social life, the reshaping of processes of self-formation and the changing character of identity politics. The new edition continues to break new ground by introducing compelling, contemporary material on the globalization of the self. Concepts of the Self is an accessible and invaluable introductory text for students in the areas of social and political theory, sociology, social psychology, cultural studies and gender studies.

Contents:

The Arts of Self 7

Concepts of the Self 12

1 Self, Society and Everyday Life 28

Self, Symbols and Others: Symbolic Interactionism 30

Presentations of Self: Goffman 37

Reflexivity and the Self: Giddens 44

2 The Repression of Self 53

Psychoanalysis and the Self 56

Culture and Repression 72

3 Technologies of the Self 85

Technologies of the Self: Foucault 88

Governmentality: New Technologies, New Selves 103

4 Self, Sexuality and Gender 112

Feminism and Psychoanalysis: Two Recent Views 112

The Politics of Gender Performance: Butler 124

Queer Theory: Contesting Self, Defying Gender 130

5 The Postmodern Self 138

All that is Modern Melts into Postmodern? 143

Strategies of the Self: Modern and Postmodern 153

Inner Depth, or Inside Out 162

Identity Politics, or Critique of Self 166

Afterword: Globalization, Postmodernization and New Individualism 169.

Notes:

Previous ed.: 2001.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0745639453

9780745639451

0745639461

9780745639468

OCLC:

166315077