Identity's Moments
The Self in Action and Interaction
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Lexington Books
Published:12th Oct '12
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This insightful exploration examines identity as a dynamic interplay of language and social interaction, as illustrated in Identity's Moments.
In Identity's Moments, the author explores the intricate dynamics of individual identity through the lens of social psychology. The narrative suggests that people are both participants and observers in their own life dramas, constantly shaping and reshaping their identities. This dual role emphasizes the fluidity of self-conception and highlights how individuals navigate their social environments.
The book delves into the significance of language in crafting personal identity and self-presentation. Drawing from the theories of influential thinkers like George Herbert Mead, Kenneth Burke, and Mikhail Bakhtin, Identity's Moments posits that self and identity are not static but are instead the result of ongoing interactions and performances among individuals. Language serves as a powerful tool, allowing people to express themselves and influence how they are perceived by others.
Ultimately, Identity's Moments presents a thought-provoking examination of how human beings use symbolic actions to create meaning in their lives. By engaging with various elements such as clothing, money, and social contexts, individuals actively construct their identities while participating in the broader dramas of human relations. This work invites readers to reflect on their own roles within these narratives and the continuous process of identity formation.
Early chapters make strong claims for language as the key to human communication . . . and Perinbanayagam delineates numerous ways language figures into social life and self. This appears to me as . . . [a] strength . . . of the book. * Symbolic Interaction *
In his latest book, Identity’s Moments: The Self in Action and Interaction, Robert Perinbanayagam outdoes not only himself, but other renowned interactionists, who earlier wrote on the same or similar topics, such as Nelson Foote, Anselm Strauss, and Gregory Stone, producing the best book of his long, productive career. In my opinion, this is a must buy book—one that you will want to bend over the page corners, underline words and sentences, and scribble notes to yourself in the margins. -- Lonnie H. Athens, Seton Hall University
Robert Peribanayagam's latest volume realizes his full potential as a mature scholar. The text spans the humanities in making sense of the manner that human beings come to terms with action in the world; and it is written with what Ortega y Gasset characterizes as 'courteous clarity.' This commitment to making the subtle idea as transparent as possible expands the potential readership for the book—one no longer needs to be a substantial scholar to come to terms with Peribanyagam's ideas, and the ideas of those he references. Peribanayagam shows that he is not only the best sociological reader of Kenneth Burke to date, but quite possibly (and indeed for this reason) the best reader of Kenneth Burke thus far. -- Wade Kenny, Mount Saint Vincent University
ISBN: 9780739172407
Dimensions: 236mm x 159mm x 21mm
Weight: 426g
206 pages