Identities in Context: Individuals and Discourse in Action

Identities in Context is a comprehensive guide to contemporary discursive research on issues relating to identity across a variety of contexts. By relying on an examination of discourse as a focus of study in its own right, a clearer understanding of the relationships between the sense of ourselves and our interactions with others in various social situations is gained. This approach also reveals how discursive research has, over time, contributed to a greater understanding of a variety of topics relating to identity addressed by specific research. For instance, we are shown the consequences associated with identity in interactions within the legal system, as well as on treatment and intervention of individuals in healthcare settings. Identities in Context provides an accessible, detailed, and enlightening examination of our current state of knowledge on all issues relating to identities and discursive research.

About the authors. Preface. Acknowledgments. 1. Introduction. 2. National identities. 3. Ethnic and religious identities. 4. Gender identities. 5. Health identities. 6. Identities and the law. 7. Organizations, work and identities. 8. Virtual identities. Afterword. Glossary. References. Author Index. Subject Index.

Andrew McKinlay is Head of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. He has published research on issues of identity, identity management, and the discursive challenges of ′problem′ identities in a wide variety of academic journals. Chris McVittie is Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology and Qualitative Methods at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He has published widely on topics related to the social psychology of communication and the study of identities. McKinlay and McVittie are co–authors of Social Psychology and Discourse (Wiley–Blackwell, 2008).

“The book, on the whole, is an excellent introduction to discourse and identity, balancing the need for engagement in the field of research and in–depth discussions of the issues with comprehensive coverage of the features and aspects of identities. It achieves this in an elegant way, making the concepts and debates clear and coherent for a wide audience.”  ( Discourse and Communication , 1 October 2013) "...it is a book that I am happy to recommend to my students, it is clearly written and takes students and interested readers through a journey of some of the significant contributions that discursive identity research has made." (QMiP Bulletin, 2012)