The figure of the imposter can stir complicated emotions, from intrigue to suspicion and fear. But what insights can these troublesome figures provide into the social relations and cultural forms from which they emerge?
Edited by leading scholars in the field, this volume explores the question through a diverse range of empirical cases, including magicians, spirit possession, fake Instagram followers, fake art and fraudulent scientists.
Proposing ‘thinking with imposters’ as a valuable new tool of analysis in the social sciences and humanities, this revolutionary book shows how the figure of the imposter can help upend social theory.
Drawing on a range of theorists and competing perspectives, this substantially updated and expanded second edition places social theory at the heart of social work pedagogy.
This book imaginatively explores ways in which practitioners and social work educators might develop more critical and radical ways of theorising and working. It is an invaluable resource for students and contains features, such as Reflection and Talk Boxes, to encourage classroom and workplace discussions.
This new edition includes:
· An extensive additional chapter on Foucault
· Reworked and expanded versions of the chapters featured in the highly-praised first edition
· Revised Reflection and Talk Boxes
· New and updated references to stimulate further reading and research
149 Social theory and voluntary action in Britain since 1880 SEVEN Social theory and voluntary action in Britain since 1880 Introduction Rethinking the history of welfare and the role of theories of society offers a new perspective on the ‘classic’ ‘welfare state’. Idealist social thought had a dominant, though not unchallenged, influence from the 1880s to the 1970s: some idealists, including Bernard Bosanquet and Charles Loch, found organised charity to be the most ethical and indeed logical way by which to secure idealist social goals, others preferred action
171 Social theory, social policy and sustainable communities EIGHT Social theory, social policy and sustainable communities Robert Moore introduction: the 1998 white Paper The 1998 White Paper Better Health – Better Wales (Welsh Office, 1998) addressed the issues that most directly affect the health of people in the Sustainable Health Action Research Programme (SHARP) areas. The White Paper recognised the social causes of ill health and also noted that while health in Wales was slowly improving from a low base, health inequalities persisted (§6.16). In
47 TWO Social theory and social policy: a challenging relationship* Robert Pinker In this chapter, I will try to answer the following three questions. What do we mean by ‘theory’ in the applied discipline of social policy? How do we distinguish between scientific theory, normative theory and ideology? Is it possible – or desirable – to design and implement rational social policies in the fractious world of democratic party politics where partisanship and passion are more evident than scholarly impartiality and rationality is in short supply? The role of
23 Social theory and social alarms TWO Social theory and social alarms Moving on from old certainties Social theories relating to older age are changing and developing. The old certainties about older people and their place in the social order are being swept aside as new agendas are followed in Great Britain and other Western countries. The readily adopted perspective that saw older people as neatly fitting within a particular stage of the life-course, defined by retirement at one end and death at the other is being questioned and theorising now increasingly
53 Free agent or ‘conscious automaton’? THREE Free agent or ‘conscious automaton’? The individual in Spencer’s social theory Introduction This chapter is concerned primarily with how Spencer understood ‘social individuals’ and ‘social life’, and to comment in this light on some recent interpretations of Spencer on moral and political ideas. The present book does not seek to advocate a particular position but to clarify patterns of social thought relating to social policy matters. Nevertheless, to guard against possible confusion, it is necessary to identify
desirable to know and govern environmental futures ( Granjou et al, 2017 ) and if fictional resources can be useful for social theory ( Beer, 2016 ), it seems that science fiction provides a material in its own right, rich in potentialities, which is available to be used as another knowledge base. Of course, the latter can appear more speculative, but precisely this dimension can also be considered as a quality or a stimulating resource. John Urry (2016) highlighted the (political) stakes present behind activities aimed at thinking about the future, or even trying to
REPLY The isolated mass and contemporary social theory Paul Edwards Management, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK This is a reply to: Burrell, Gibson. 2017. “The role of coal-mining towns in social theory: past, present and future.” Global Discourse. https://doi.org/10.1080/23269995.2017.1332473 It is a pleasure to comment on Gibson Burrell’s (GB’s) (2017) essay, for two reasons. The first, like GB’s, is autobiographical, though of a merely intellectual kind: my first sub- stantial paper was published 40 years ago on the Kerr–Siegel hypothesis, and I thus
What does it mean to live a good life? Why has it proved so difficult for people with intellectual disabilities to live one? What happens when we make a good life the centre of our consideration of people with intellectual disabilities? These questions are explored through a re-examination of ideas from philosophy and social theory, and through personal life stories. This important and timely book provides an analysis and critique of current policies and underpinning ideologies in relation to people with intellectual disabilities and explores ways in which a good life may be made more attainable.
