Routledge Power and Identity: Perspectives from the social sciences (Current Issues in Social Psychology)

The concepts of power and identity are vital to many areas of social research. In this edited collection, a prominent set of contributors explore the double relationship between power and group identity, focusing on two complementary lines of enquiry: In what ways can the powerful dictate the identities of the powerless? How can the powerless redefine their identity to challenge the powerful? Each chapter is written by leading authorities in the field, and investigates a particular aspect of the interplay of identity and power via a range of empirical contexts such as colonialism, nationalism, collective action, and electoral politics. The case studies include early modern Goa under Portuguese rule, the tribes of modern-day Jordan, the use of sexual stereotyping and objectification by female activists seeking to transform social systems, and a revisiting of the classic Stanford Prison Experiment. The chapters include contributions from a variety of social disciplines and research methodologies, and together provide a comprehensive overview of a subject at the cutting-edge of social and political psychology. Power and Identity will be of great interest to researchers, graduates and upper-level undergraduate students from across the social sciences. Review "The prominent scholars present historical, sociological, and psychological perspectives on the association between power and identity. Beginning with the notion that identities are inherently social and particular identities are dependent on political relations, contributors delve into case examples and demonstrations of how identity and power are linked. The collection fills a clear void in the social science literature by expounding on current research showing the connection between identity and power from perspectives of both the powerful and powerless. A timely review for those in the social sciences." - S. Reysen, Texas A&M University-Commerce, USA, in CHOICE, July 2015  "Even though power and identity have often been identified as the key concepts of contemporary social science there are very few studies that explore directly their complex relationships. This valuable collection brings together high quality comparative analyses of power and identity from very diverse empirical contexts. This is an insightful study which will have considerable appeal beyond social and political psychology." - Siniša Malešević, University College, Dublin, Ireland About the Author Denis Sindic is Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal. Manuela Barreto is Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at the University of Exeter, UK. Rui Costa-Lopes is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal.