Representing Reality: Discourse, Rhetoric and Social Construction by Jonathan Potter

by Jonathan Potter

How is reality really manufactured? The idea of social construction has become a commonplace part of much social research, yet precisely what is constructed, how it is constructed, and what constructionism means are often left unclear or taken for granted. In this major work, Jonathan Potter explores the central themes raised by these questions. Representing Reality explores the different traditions in constructivist thought--including sociology of scientific knowledge; conversation analysis and ethnomethodology; and semiotics, poststructuralism, and postmodernism--to provide a lucid introduction to several key strands of work that have overturned the way we think about facts and descriptions. Potter illustrates his points throughout with varied and engaging examples taken from newspaper stories, relationship counseling sessions, accounts of paranormal events, social workers' assessments of violent parents, informal talk between program organizers, political arguments, and everyday conversations. Representing Reality offers the student and scholar in social psychology, rhetoric and discourse, and related fields a critical introduction to constructivism.

Genres: Sociology, Psychology

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for anyone interested in social construction and discourse theory. Took a while to finish, though, but worth it. I was happily surprised that here Potter is much less 'postmodern' than in some other pieces I've read.