Topic
Agency (philosophy)
About: Agency (philosophy) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 10461 publications have been published within this topic receiving 350831 citations. The topic is also known as: Thought & Human agency.
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01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: The notion that children are active agents in their own development and socialization is now generally accepted in psychology, sociology and education as discussed by the authors, and although nativist or biological and behaviouristic views of individual development still draw attention, constructivist developmental psychology, as seen in the theoretical approaches of Piaget (1950) and Vygotsky (1978), has had great influence on our appreciation of children's agency.
Abstract: The notion that children are active agents in their own development and socialization is now generally accepted in psychology, sociology and education. Although nativist or biological and behaviouristic views of individual development still draw attention, constructivist developmental psychology, as seen in the theoretical approaches of Piaget (1950) and Vygotsky (1978), has had great influence on our appreciation of children’s agency. More problematic and enduring is the image of the agency of the individual child; that is a focus on individual human development and how the child internalizes adult skills and knowledge.
86 citations
TL;DR: The cultural contribution to psychopathology may become more salient in situations of social change, but it remains difficult to distinguish individual agency among wider social and economic transitions, such as 'modernization' or simply 'culture change', which carry the potential for recourse to new patterns.
Abstract: The cultural contribution to psychopathology may become more salient in situations of social change, but it remains difficult to distinguish individual agency among wider social and economic transitions, such as 'modernization' or simply 'culture change', which carry the potential for recourse to new patterns. Eating disorders, a biosocial pattern once identified exclusively with European societies, do occur among South Asian women including those living in the West. This seems not just a simple appropriation of contemporary Western ideals of female morphology--the 'fear of fatness'-but a reassertion of an instrumental strategy of self-renunciation in situations of experienced constraint.
86 citations
TL;DR: The empowerment process must consider the close connection between the private and the public arenas, as the private space seriously constrains women's availability and possibilities for transformative action; therefore, both macro-and micro-level interventions are needed to create a modified gender division of labour as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Women's empowerment is a concept that has acquired substantial recognition in the past decade. However, it is better known among international development organisations, NGOs, and grassroots groups than in academic circles. This article examines the concept of women's empowerment as a foundational element in a theory of social change in which the oppressed must be key actors in the change process. On the basis of empirical evidence, it highlights four dimensions of empowerment: economic, political, knowledge, and psychological. The knowledge dimension is fostered by one of the most respected and universal of institutions: formal education. Yet schools do not always provide friendly or even safe spaces for girls; moreover, the school curriculum emphasises academic subjects and avoids ‘life skills’ discussions. Most successful cases of empowerment through education have occurred in non-formal education programmes that specifically promote critical reflection on gendered social norms and encourage corrective responses. The article argues that the empowerment process must consider the close connection between the private and the public arenas, as the private space seriously constrains women's availability and possibilities for transformative action; therefore, both macro- and micro-level interventions are needed to create a modified gender division of labour. The promotion of agency — at both the individual and collective levels — plays a major role in the development of women's empowerment. Such a process requires the engagement of non-state actors, particularly women-led NGOs. The article ends with challenges for policy.
86 citations
Book•
11 Mar 2002
TL;DR: Faber argues that an organization's identity is created through internal stories as mentioned in this paper, and that when internal stories are consistent with its external stories, the organizational identity is consistent and productive.
Abstract: Brenton D. Faber's spirited account of an academic consultant's journey through banks, ghost towns, cemeteries, schools, and political campaigns explores the tenuous relationships between cultural narratives and organizational change. Blending Faber's firsthand experiences in the study and implementation of change with theoretical discussions of identity, agency, structure, and resistance within contexts of change, this innovative book is among the first such communications studies to profile a scholar who is also a full participant in the projects. Drawing on theories of Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens, and Pierre Bourdieu, Faber notes that change takes place in the realm of narrative, in the stories people tell. Faber argues that an organization's identity is created through internal stories. When the organization's internal stories are consistent with its external stories, the organization's identity is consistent and productive. When internal stories contradict the external stories, however, the organization's identity becomes discordant. Change is the process of realigning an organization's discordant narratives. Faber discusses the case studies of a change management plan he wrote for a city-owned cemetery, a cultural change project he created for a downtown trade school, and a political campaign he assisted that focused on creating social change. He also includes detailed reflections on practical ways academics can become more involved in their communities as agents of progressive social change.
86 citations
Book•
01 Jan 1996
TL;DR: The second edition of "Situating Social Theory" examines the implications of recent developments, challenges and disputes that have become important to debates in social theory including new commentaries on key authors as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Description: Examines the implications of developments, challenges and disputes that have become important to debates in social theory, including fresh commentaries on key authors. This edition also explores the extent to which how we situate social theory may need re-examining.
Synopsis: In recent years, there has been a proliferation of concerns about the status of social theory, particular in the context of debates about 'mobility', 'technology' and 'complexity' which in their extreme are said to undermine the very basis of 'the social'. Addressing these issues is important if social theory is to have a voice in shaping a future in which boundaries between 'nature' and 'society' are challenged and threaten in new ways. The second edition of "Situating Social Theory" examines the implications of recent developments, challenges and disputes that have become important to debates in social theory including new commentaries on key authors. The new edition also explores the extent to which how we situate social theory may need re-examining. The relationship between 'agency', 'social self' and 'social structure' will be examined in relation to the implications of 'mobility', 'technology' and 'complexity' through revised and updated material, the integration of new analysis of key authors, and two new chapters addressing the challenges of recent developments.
86 citations