This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Adams, M. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Hybridizing Habitus and Reflexivity:

Towards an Understanding of Contemporary Identity?

University of Brighton

This article initially summarizes two dominant tropes in the sociology of identity in recent years, centred on the concepts of self-reflexivity and habitus, followed by an overview of extensive critical debate to which both have been subjected. It is claimed that the key criticisms of the extended reflexivity thesis gather around accusations of excessive voluntarism in accounting for contemporary identity, while critiques of Bourdieu's conceptualization of habitus deem it overly deterministic. In an attempt to move beyond the conceptual stalemate of two distinct approaches to identity, a number of hybridized accounts have emerged in social theory.The remainder of the article discusses a number of these accounts in relation to social change, and offers an initial consideration of their strengths and limitations. It is argued that the importance of post-reflexive choice must remain integral to any attempt at hybridization of these important terms, particularly in relation to the contemporary workings of social stratification.

Key Words: habitus • identity • reflexivity • social change • stratification

Sociology, Vol. 40, No. 3, 511-528 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/003803850663672


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Wood and C. Bunn Strategy in a Religious Network: A Bourdieuian Critique of the Sociology of Spirituality Sociology, April 1, 2009; 43(2): 286 - 303. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Binkley Governmentality, Temporality and Practice: From the individualization of risk to the `contradictory movements of the soul' Time Society, March 1, 2009; 18(1): 86 - 105. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Threadgold and P. Nilan Reflexivity of Contemporary Youth, Risk and Cultural Capital Current Sociology, January 1, 2009; 57(1): 47 - 68. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. Adams and J. Raisborough What Can Sociology Say About FairTrade?: Class, Reflexivity and Ethical Consumption Sociology, December 1, 2008; 42(6): 1165 - 1182. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. Gray Putting Emotion and Reflexivity to Work in Researching Migration Sociology, October 1, 2008; 42(5): 935 - 952. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Powell Amor fati?: Gender habitus and young people's negotiation of (hetero)sexual consent Journal of Sociology, June 1, 2008; 44(2): 167 - 184. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Brooks and L. Wee Reflexivity and the Transformation of Gender Identity: Reviewing the Potential for Change in a Cosmopolitan City Sociology, June 1, 2008; 42(3): 503 - 521. [Abstract] [PDF]

				W. Atkinson Anthony Giddens as Adversary of Class Analysis Sociology, June 1, 2007; 41(3): 533 - 549. [Abstract] [PDF]