Book contents
- The Making of a Dialogical Theory
- The Making of a Dialogical Theory
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The Development and Diversification of the Theory of Social Representations and Communication
- Part II The Dialogical Perspective of the Theory of Social Representations and Communication
- Chapter 7 Social Representations and Common Sense
- Chapter 8 Meanings and Knowledge as Semiotic Processes
- Chapter 9 They ‘Made Flowers Grow Where It Seemed Impossible’
- Chapter 10 Social Representations as Unique Phenomena:
- Chapter 11 The Making of Dialogical Theories
- Afterword
- References
- Index
Chapter 11 - The Making of Dialogical Theories
from Part II - The Dialogical Perspective of the Theory of Social Representations and Communication
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 June 2023
- The Making of a Dialogical Theory
- The Making of a Dialogical Theory
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I The Development and Diversification of the Theory of Social Representations and Communication
- Part II The Dialogical Perspective of the Theory of Social Representations and Communication
- Chapter 7 Social Representations and Common Sense
- Chapter 8 Meanings and Knowledge as Semiotic Processes
- Chapter 9 They ‘Made Flowers Grow Where It Seemed Impossible’
- Chapter 10 Social Representations as Unique Phenomena:
- Chapter 11 The Making of Dialogical Theories
- Afterword
- References
- Index
Summary
11. Social theories develop and transform in and through dialogues that simultaneously take place in multiple interactions and dialogues between the creator of a theory and numerous other factors. They provide us with rich evidence of struggles and tensions between:
creative individuals and powerful institutions dominated by political, ideological, and religious forces
general patterns of thought in specific time periods due to cultural and historical influences (zeitgeist)
creative individuals and audiences (peers, the public)
creative individuals and their doubts, hopes, and imagined others.
Throughout these dialogues, we have observed responses to the question ‘who is the individual and what is society’, which dominated Moscovici’s thinking throughout his life. They also answered another query that he kept raising: ‘what is “social” about social psychology’ (Moscovici, 1972/2000, p. 54)? To that end, the theory of social representations and communication is approaching its goal. It has showed who the Self is and who Others are, and who is individual and what is society. By following this path, and by exploring in a holistic manner the dynamic and complex phenomena in daily practices, such as health, education, politics, and ecology, it has the potential of becoming an anthropology of modern culture.
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- The Making of a Dialogical TheorySocial Representations and Communication, pp. 236 - 260Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023