In social sciences reflexivity refers to the capacity of an individual (an agent) to recognize forces of socialization and change their place in the social structure. It is similar to the notion of autonomy. Professor Margaret Archer from the Centre for Social Ontology will talk about Structure, Agency and Culture as three distinct ontological features of social reality.
The lecture, organized by SWPS University's Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program is a part of the series The Challenges of the Humanities of the 21st Century.
The lecture will be conducted in English. Free admission.
Everything starts with an acronym, which shows that any adequate explanation in the Social Sciences comes in a SAC that includes Structure, Agency and Culture.
How do objective Structure and Cultural features of any social context influence Agents? Neither ‘determinism’ nor ‘conditioning’ will do. Of course, there is no such thing as decontextualized action but to rely exclusively upon its ‘conditioning’ neglects our personal and collective capacity to define what we care about most and seek to establish a modus vivendi expressive of our concerns. Instead, through reflexive ‘internal conversation’, people consider the social situations in which they find themselves involuntarily in the light of their current concerns and projects.
On the basis of in-depth interviewing, four distinctive modes of internal conversation were identified: Communicative, Autonomous, Meta- and Fractured reflexivity. These govern agents’ responses to social conditioning and whether or not they contribute to social stability or change. Which of these modalities is dominant varies with different historical social formations.
Reflexivity is thus put forward as the missing link between society’s properties and powers and those of its constitutive agents.
“The Challenges of Humanities of the 21st Century” is a series of lectures by distinguished specialists, who represent various disciplines from the field of humanities. The events are aimed at students of SWPS University's Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program, however all interested parties are welcome. The format includes post-lecture informal discussions on topics presented by the invited experts. The friendly atmosphere of the events is conducive to networking, which lends itself to opportunities of future internships at universities or research centers around the world.
Doctoral Studies at SWPS University are directed to people interested in an academic career and also to those, who would like to continue their education and personal development in support of their career advancement. The interdisciplinary character of our programs allows students to participate in projects from various disciplines. Our doctoral students collaborate with scholars from the best research centers in Poland and around the world. The master-apprentice approach guarantees that each student receives individual attention and professional support.