Social constructionism does far more than unsettle our traditional beliefs in truth, objectivity, and knowledge; thrown into question is also the right of any particular group to claim it has the ultimate authority to any form of knowledge. Such a conclusion has enormous repercussions in the academic community and beyond. This Reader introduces a number of important contributions to contemporary constructionism and charts the development of thought from its very beginnings. The 34 excerpts represent the major viewpoints central to social constructionism including the voices of 42 prominent scholars in philosophy, ethnography, cultural studies, feminist thought and the wider social sciences. In concert with K J Gergen's Invitation to Social Construction (SAGE, 1999), or as a stand-alone text, it is a compendium of achievements in the field and will be an invaluable resource for students. Introductory essays by the editors give intellectual coherence to these diverse pieces and allow greater insight into emergent trends.
Social Construction: A Reader will be required reading on courses across the social sciences but especially psychology, sociology, communication studies, cultural studies, human sciences and education.