Becoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identification
This paper offers an alternative theoretical consideration of ethnic identification in psychology. Mainstream social psychological theories are largely positivist and individualistic. New possibilities of theoretical understanding open up as the relational and symbolic nature of ethnicity...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Filozofija i Društvo |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0353-5738/2021/0353-57382103460D.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818724366042529792 |
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| author | Đorđević Ana |
| author_facet | Đorđević Ana |
| author_sort | Đorđević Ana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper offers an alternative theoretical consideration of ethnic
identification in psychology. Mainstream social psychological theories are
largely positivist and individualistic. New possibilities of theoretical
understanding open up as the relational and symbolic nature of ethnicity
enters psychological inquiry. This paper takes culture and self as two
conceptual domains of social identification, following a meta-theoretical
position of cultural psychology. The central focus is the cultural
development of the person in social context of a given culture, specifically
their ethnic identification, to which end, it looks at several processual
aspects. First, ethnic culture is approached as a guiding principle and
practice in everyday understanding and experience of one’s own ethnicity.
Second, ethnic identification is considered a social and personal act of
meaning making, which happens in a given social context, through practical
activity and the discursive positioning of a person. Third, since rather
than considered a conscious aspect of belonging, ethnicity is assumed and
taken for granted, ruptures are considered as destabilizing events that
create an opportunity for ethnic meaning reinterpretation and developmental
transition. In the meaning making process, symbolic resources are conceived
of as primary self-configuring tools, which are also culture-configuring.
Ethnic meaning making is theorized as a central social-psychological process
through which ethnic culture and a person as an ethnic subject emerge in
historical perspective. Finally, the uniqueness of a singular person in the
shared ethnic culture is conceptualized based on symbolic distancing from
the immediate social context, through the model of knitting personal and
socio-historical semiotic threads. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T21:25:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aea5b4eabb064555b48c70cdd8ef6448 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0353-5738 2334-8577 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T21:25:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, Belgrade |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Filozofija i Društvo |
| spelling | doaj.art-aea5b4eabb064555b48c70cdd8ef64482022-12-21T21:32:03ZdeuInstitute for Philosophy and Social Theory, BelgradeFilozofija i Društvo0353-57382334-85772021-01-0132346047810.2298/FID2103460D0353-57382103460DBecoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identificationĐorđević Ana0Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade, SerbiaThis paper offers an alternative theoretical consideration of ethnic identification in psychology. Mainstream social psychological theories are largely positivist and individualistic. New possibilities of theoretical understanding open up as the relational and symbolic nature of ethnicity enters psychological inquiry. This paper takes culture and self as two conceptual domains of social identification, following a meta-theoretical position of cultural psychology. The central focus is the cultural development of the person in social context of a given culture, specifically their ethnic identification, to which end, it looks at several processual aspects. First, ethnic culture is approached as a guiding principle and practice in everyday understanding and experience of one’s own ethnicity. Second, ethnic identification is considered a social and personal act of meaning making, which happens in a given social context, through practical activity and the discursive positioning of a person. Third, since rather than considered a conscious aspect of belonging, ethnicity is assumed and taken for granted, ruptures are considered as destabilizing events that create an opportunity for ethnic meaning reinterpretation and developmental transition. In the meaning making process, symbolic resources are conceived of as primary self-configuring tools, which are also culture-configuring. Ethnic meaning making is theorized as a central social-psychological process through which ethnic culture and a person as an ethnic subject emerge in historical perspective. Finally, the uniqueness of a singular person in the shared ethnic culture is conceptualized based on symbolic distancing from the immediate social context, through the model of knitting personal and socio-historical semiotic threads.http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0353-5738/2021/0353-57382103460D.pdfcultural psychologyethnic identificationsubjectivitymeaning makingsymbolic resourcerupture |
| spellingShingle | Đorđević Ana Becoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identification Filozofija i Društvo cultural psychology ethnic identification subjectivity meaning making symbolic resource rupture |
| title | Becoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identification |
| title_full | Becoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identification |
| title_fullStr | Becoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identification |
| title_full_unstemmed | Becoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identification |
| title_short | Becoming an ethnic subject. Cultural-psychological theory of ethnic identification |
| title_sort | becoming an ethnic subject cultural psychological theory of ethnic identification |
| topic | cultural psychology ethnic identification subjectivity meaning making symbolic resource rupture |
| url | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0353-5738/2021/0353-57382103460D.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT đorđevicana becominganethnicsubjectculturalpsychologicaltheoryofethnicidentification |