Theorising Identity: Social Science and Theological Intersections
The question ""Who am I"" has penneated much psychological and social research on the construction of identity and has been studied from many perspectives - i.e. Psychoanalytical, philosophical, phenomenological, sociological, socio-linguistic, anthropological, and educational. T...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
WorldCat: | WorldCat |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Univ.
2006
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In: |
Nidān
Year: 2006, Issue: 18, Pages: 67-110 |
Further subjects: | B
ISKCON
B Postmodernists B Hare Krishna Movement B Intrapersonal psychological approach |
Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
Summary: | The question ""Who am I"" has penneated much psychological and social research on the construction of identity and has been studied from many perspectives - i.e. Psychoanalytical, philosophical, phenomenological, sociological, socio-linguistic, anthropological, and educational. The literature review reveals that there is a pattern of decreasing reductionistic analysis of identity, where binaries of race, culture or language are regarded as more fluid, multiple and transient, rather than mutually exclusive. Furthennore, there is a negation of the monopoly of any single discipline's view of self and identity, and a blurring of disciplines. Thus a predominant, postmodernistic view surfacing in current research rejects the notion of a core identity and regards identities as essentially mutable, interactive and metamorphic. The Vedic theological perspective concurs that our identifications of the body and mind are illusory . and are indeed external, pliable, fragmented and transient, but establishes a core notion of identity as spirit, which may be considered by some as essentialist. While essentialist views have been criticized by the postmodernists as positivist and often reinforcing oppression, the Vedic view considers a core notion of identity of self as an immaterial existent being, ultimately liberated from political and oppressive social designations, This article draws from a larger study of identity and traces significant themes as they have emerged historically and as they influence ideas of identity found in the social science literature, It further explores spiritual perspectives of identity found in the ISKCON1 literatures and examines similarities and ambivalences in identity construction between social science and theology |
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ISSN: | 2414-8636 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Nidān
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.58125/nidan.2006.1 |