Full Description
In Contemporary Social Constructionism, Darin Weinberg provides a detailed, critical overview of the key themes of this school of thought, which explains how phenomena and ways of thinking develop in their social contexts. Weinberg traces the multiple roots of social constructionism, and shows how it has been used, critiqued, and refined within the social and human sciences.
Contemporary Social Constructionism illuminates how constructionist social science developed in relation to positivism, critical and hermeneutic philosophy, and feminism and then goes on to distinguish the concept from postmodernism and deconstructionism. In addition, Weinberg shows how social constructionists have contributed to our understanding of biology, the body, self-knowledge, and social problems.
The result is a contemporary statement of social constructionism that shores up its scientific veracity and demonstrates its analytic power, promise, and influence. The book concludes with a look toward the future of the concept and its use.
Contents
Preface Acknowledgments 1 What is Social Constructionism? 2 The Philosophical Foundations of Social Constructionism 3 Social Constructionism Contra Deconstructionism and Postmodernism 4 Social Constructionism and the Body 5 The Social Construction of Self-Knowledge 6 The Social Construction of Social Problems 7 The Way Forward for Social Constructionism Notes References Index
