Embodying Identities: Culture, Differences and Social Theory

"In the 1970s and 80s, identities seemed to be 'fixed' or 'socially constructed' through categories of class, 'race', ethnicity, gender, sexualities and religion as they were passed from one generation to the next. These days we are much more able to choose who we want to be. We have begun to recognise the diversity, fragmentation and fluidity of identities, but how do we create and shape our own? Embodying Identities shapes a new language of social theory that allows people to embody their differences with a sense of dignity and self-worth, enabling them to come to terms with the complexities of their lived identities in a post-modern globalised world. The book recognises that we have to understand the networks of complex affiliations and belongings that shape identities. It draws on diverse traditions within classical social theory that have emerged from Marx, Weber and Durkheim, as well as more recent traditions of critical theory and post-structuralism, to illuminate transitions from the modern to the post-modern. Using contemporary examples, Embodying Identities will be of interest to sociology, politics, social work, philosophy and cultural studies students. It will also be of value to social work practitioners and anyone attempting to understand how we form and live our complex and embodied identities"--Publisher's description.

Victor Jeleniewski Seidler is Professor of Social Theory in the Department of Sociology at Goldsmiths, University of London. He has written widely in the areas of social theory, ethics and gender, particularly in relation to the critical study of men and masculinities. His recent work includes Young men and masculinities: Global cultures and intimate lives (Zeb Books, 2007), Jewish philosophy and western culture (I. B. Tauris, 2008) and urban fears and global terrors: Citizenship, multicultures and belongings after 7/7 (Routledge, 2007).