Howarth Caroline
School of Psychology, London School of Economics, UK.
Br J Soc Psychol. 2006 Mar;45(Pt 1):65-86. doi: 10.1348/014466605X43777.
Following Moscovici (1972), this paper addresses the questions: What is the aim of research within a social representations perspective? Is it to support or to criticize the social order? Is it to consolidate or transform it? After a brief overview of social representations theory, I argue that while the theory appears to have the conceptual tools to begin this critical task, there are serious criticisms and points of underdevelopment that need addressing. In order for social representations theory to develop into a rigorously critical theory there are three controversial issues that require clarification. These are (a) the relationship between psychological processes and social practices, (b) the reification and legitimization of different knowledge systems, and (c) agency and resistance in the co-construction of self-identity. After discussing each issue in turn, with illustrations from research on racializing representations, I conclude the paper with a discussion of the role of representations in the ideological construction and contestation of reality.
遵循莫斯科维奇(1972年)的观点,本文探讨以下问题:从社会表征视角来看,研究的目的是什么?是支持还是批评社会秩序?是巩固还是改变社会秩序?在对社会表征理论进行简要概述之后,我认为,虽然该理论似乎具备开展这项批判性任务的概念工具,但也存在一些需要解决的严重批评和发展不足的问题。为了使社会表征理论发展成为一种严格的批判性理论,有三个有争议的问题需要澄清。这些问题是:(a)心理过程与社会实践之间的关系;(b)不同知识体系的物化和合法化;(c)自我认同共同建构中的能动性和抵抗性。在依次讨论每个问题,并以关于种族化表征的研究为例进行说明之后,我在本文结尾讨论了表征在现实的意识形态建构和争论中的作用。