This reader brings together the founding texts of the "Social Identity Approach" - a set of concepts, ideas, and principles contained in Social Identity Theory and Self-Categorization Theory. This approach originated in social psychology and is increasingly part of the standard curriculum in communication and media studies, organizations and management, sociology, education, and politics. Originally published in the 1970s and 1980s by Henri Tajfel and John Turner, in a wide variety of books and journals, many of these articles have become citation classics, and for good reason: they have lost none of their inspirational quality. The depth and scope of their analysis is unrivalled, and there can be no doubt that the themes they address, such as intergroup conflict, diversity, stereotyping and social influence, are as relevant today as they ever were.
Reviews
"The advantage this book holds over many other textbooks is that it allows the reader to access the original sources and make up their own mind regarding their implications and values. … After reading the text you are left feeling that you have a comprehensive and coherent picture of the SIT approach, and know where to look for further information. … Whether you are an undergraduate student learning about social psychology, a social psychological researcher,a researcher working outside psychology, or you are simply interested in learning more about the work of Tajfel and Turner, this book is an invaluable resource and well worth reading." - Laura Scurlock-Evans, University of Worcester, UK, in Social Psychological Review
"Rediscovering Social Identity collects the ‘classics’ of social identity theory. For those who already are social identity theorists, it is a ‘must’ because it brings together the articles that spawned the field, tied together with an introduction that explains how the different readings fit in. But for all other social scientists, like myself, who are outside of sociity theory, Rediscovering Social Identity is yet more important. It brings together the bases for the social psychology of group formation and people’s behaviour toward groups. The classic readings collected here thus deepen the many fields, like sociology and much of the humanities, where social identity is already a basic concept. They also open up new windows for fields like economics and political science, where the social identity revolution is in its infancy." - George A. Akerlof, 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics, University of California, Berkeley, USA
"The deep concerns in this book about the contradictions and difficulties involved in formulating a social psychology are truly revealing. The efforts to formulate and carry out research on social identity as a means of avoiding these difficulties are brilliant and deep. Henri Tajfel has certainly started a line of thought that has alerted all of us. This is a book worth reading carefully." - Jerome Bruner, University Professor, ...
