BackStage

Well, I did say I’m a dilettante, and I meant it. I’m all over the place–something I need to remedy soon if I want to get a job and tenure.

Primarily I identify as a social psychologist. Within this sub discipline, I categorize myself as a structural symbolic interactionist. Meaning, I took to heart Stryker’s (1977) command to return to the “fundamental insight” of sociological social psychology–the interplay between structure and agency. I am fascinated by how individuals create and manage identities within structure–and how they attempt (and sometimes manage) to manipulate that structure to allow their portrayals. So, primarily I ask questions about identity (of all types–gender, race, and even larger scale). I am interested in emotions and in groups. I am also really interested in networks and how these networks come into play during identity negotiation. But, as you will see throughout my blogging, this is nowhere near a complete list of my interests.

Stryker, Sheldon. 1977. “Developments in ‘Two Social Psychologies’: Toward an Appreciation of Mutual Relevance.” Sociometry 40: 145-160.