Image by Pawel Bak
Identities and beliefs are concerned with who we perceive ourselves to be, as individuals and groups, and how this shapes the ways we behave.
Identities and Beliefs
Identities and beliefs is concerned with some of the most central questions about human behaviour and social interaction: who we perceive ourselves to be, as individuals and as groups, and how those convictions shape the ways we behave and relate to others.
Identity has become a central concept in much recent social-scientific research, as well as in the arts and humanities. One of the things that makes identity such an important focus for research is that, while identity may be perceived or believed to be objectively given or true, identities of whatever kind – ethnic, racial, religious, and so on – are constructed and maintained through discourse and social practice, and change over time.
Moreover, which aspects of a person’s multifaceted identity become salient at particular points in time is a crucial subject for critical exploration.
Some key aspects of the theme’s work may be summarised as follows:
- Studying who we perceive ourselves, and others, to be and why.
- Exploring the shaping of identities through time, space, experience, and encounters.
- Exploring how convictions shape the ways we behave.
