The Self We Live By

The Self We Live By by James A Holstein

The story of the self is big story. For at least a century, the concept of the empirical self has been an important, if not our most central, social structure. The early pragmatists William James, Charles Horton Cooley, and George Herbert Mead, among others, turned away from the transcendental self of philosophical reflection to formulate a concept that extended to every individual's consideration who and what they were. The democratized the self and set the stage for social psychological commentary for decades to come. Now, according to some postmodern voices, the self does not amount to much anymore on the brink of the 21st century. its narrative has fizzled. The self is a mere shadow of what is was, now communicated in evanescent images of identity. The Self We Live By resurrects the big story by taking issue with this account. Holstein and Gubrium have crafted an accessible, comprehensive discussion which traces a different course of developmetn, from the early pragmatists to contemporary constructionist considerations. Glimpses of renewal are located in a new kind of ending, one centered in an institutional landscape of diverse naratives of the self. Not only is there a new story of the self, but we're told that the self, itself, is narratively constructed. Yet, as varied and plentiful as narrative identity has become, it's disciplined by its social practices, which the authors discuss and illustrate in terms of the "everyday technology of self construction." The empirical self, its turns out, has become more complex and varied than its formulators could have ever imagined it to be. The book is written at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in psychology, sociology, and related social sciences.

"A fascinating attempt to reconcile the 20th-century concept of the social self with postmodernist thinking, this volume makes an important contribution to the literature of both the social sciences and humanitiesFollowing a brief introductory chapter, the authors take the reader on a crisp, condensed historical journey through various conceptions of the self and the theorists most responsible for their development."--B. Ayers-Nachamkin, Wilson College "Well organized. It offers a variety of information on pertinent theorists and theories. Written in a manner that makes it easy for students to understand sociology and its role in everyday life."--Sonya Gantt, Wayne State University "Just the text I was looking for....Looks like a great book."--Penny Green, University of Southern Colorado

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780195119299
ISBN 10	0195119290
Title	The Self We Live By
Author	James A Holstein
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Oxford University Press Inc
Year published	1999-10-07
Number of pages	282
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable