Social Constructionism, Discourse and Realism

Social Constructionism, Discourse, and Realism charts a clear and accessible path through some of the key debates in contemporary social psychology. Drawing on the wider critical and discursive turn in the human sciences, it explores comprehensively the many claims about what we can know of reality in social constructionist and discursive research in psychology. Key questions addressed by an internationally renowned cast of contributors include: + Should pragmatic and relativist views of meaning and the world necessarily be adopted by discourse analysts? + Where is "the real" in contemporary critical research in psychology? + How does the turn-to-language affect, encourage, or inhibit perspectives for change? These relativist versus realist tensions go to the heart of current theoretical and methodological issues, not only within psychology but across the social and human sciences. By mapping the connections between theory, method, and politics in social research and placing these within the context of the broader social constructionist and discursive debates, this wide ranging book offers the reader an invaluable survey of the current debates. Social Constructionism, Discourse, and Realism will be essential reading for all students of social psychology, social constructionism, discourse analysis, and the philosophy of social sciences.