Identity and Agency in Cultural Worlds

by Dorothy Holland, William S. Lachicotte Jr., Debra Skinner

This landmark book addresses the central problem in anthropological theory the paradox that humans are products of social discipline yet producers of remarkable improvisation.

Synthesizing theoretical contributions by Vygotsky, Bakhtin and Bourdieu, Holland and her co-authors examine the processes by which people are constituted as agents as well as subjects of culturally constructed, socially imposed worlds. They develop a theory of self-formation in which identities become the pivot between discipline and turning from experiencing one's scripted social positions to making one's way into cultural worlds as a knowledgeable and committed participant. They emphasize throughout that "identities" are not static and coherent, but variable, multivocal and interactive.

Ethnographic illumination of this complex theoretical construction comes from vividly described fieldwork in vastly different American college women "caught" in romance; persons in U.S. institutions of mental health care; members of Alcoholics Anonymous groups; and girls and women in the patriarchal order of Hindu villages in central Nepal.

Ultimately, Identity and Agency in Cultural Worlds offers a liberating yet tempered understanding of agency, for it shows how people, across the limits of cultural traditions and social forces of power and domination, improvise and find spaces to re-describe themselves, creating their cultural worlds anew.

Genres: Nonfiction, Anthropology, Education

349 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to imagine a more complete encapsulation of the fascinating theories and theoretical frameworks I have been introduced to in my first term of postgraduate studies. Too bad there is only one sentence that deals directly with virtual reality, but plenty of information on figured worlds that will do nicely as I proceed to learn about digital literacy in general and virtual worlds in particular.

[Noa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very helpful book -- it broke down situations and helped categorize different elements of identity. It brought up a term I found really helpful: figured worlds. The expression of how identity is mediated by these figured worlds -- how we create ourselves through artifacts and expectations -- was helpful and stimulating.
There were many examples that got me thinking about my interaction with identity and how I'm influenced by my figured worlds.
...it also has made me very grateful for my professor, Dr. Fields, who is superb.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked about this book is it gave me a lot to think about outside of normal class discussion. I actually had several conversations about identity with friends who aren't in academia, because the topic stayed on my mind.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main dissertation book

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dense, but not difficult. Made me want to read Bakhtin. Will definitely use for dissertation.