Social Identity (Key Ideas)

Without social identity there is no society, because without such frameworks of similarity and difference people would be unable to relate to each other in a consistent and meaningful fashion. Richard Jenkins here presents an introduction to this key concept for the study of society. Arguing that social identity must be seen as both individual and collective, Jenkins aims to show how the work of major theorists from Mead to Bourdieu can illuminate the experience of identity in everyday life.