The postmodern era celebrates the liberation of different facets of society. Conservative modes of social classifications, such as essentialism, is deconstructed and abandoned for social constructivist world views, where the attributes of a singular persondhood is no longer deterministic. Interest in the 'personhood', and how it constructs meaning in the social realm gave rise to several theoretical understandings, such as Neoliberalism, Positioning Theory, and so forth.
Positioning Theory acknowledges the fluidity of the 'personhood'. As in identity studies, positioning theory recognizes that a person may assume different positions in a social (semiotic) act. Specifically, Positioning Theory is interested in uncovering subject positions held by a person in a discursive act. This discursive act, or interaction, involves discourse participants who affirms or refutes "personal attributes [...] such rights, duties, and obligations" (p. 2). As a methodology, Positioning Theory identifies a subject position by determining the (i) indices for position, (ii) act/action , and (iii) storyline. The second and third factors would further provide the moral positions of subjects and their rights to make certain claims, and the effects of their actual sayings in shaping the social environment around them. Subject positions could be formed in at least three ways: first, individual or collective positions formed by other individuals or collectives; second, a position formed by one's self, or a self-reflexive position; third, the manner in which different individuals position themselves for a similar position.
From: R. Harre and L. van Langenhov, The Dynamics of Social Episode, Positioning Theory: Moral Contexts of Intentional Action, 1999.
Positioning Theory acknowledges the fluidity of the 'personhood'. As in identity studies, positioning theory recognizes that a person may assume different positions in a social (semiotic) act. Specifically, Positioning Theory is interested in uncovering subject positions held by a person in a discursive act. This discursive act, or interaction, involves discourse participants who affirms or refutes "personal attributes [...] such rights, duties, and obligations" (p. 2). As a methodology, Positioning Theory identifies a subject position by determining the (i) indices for position, (ii) act/action , and (iii) storyline. The second and third factors would further provide the moral positions of subjects and their rights to make certain claims, and the effects of their actual sayings in shaping the social environment around them. Subject positions could be formed in at least three ways: first, individual or collective positions formed by other individuals or collectives; second, a position formed by one's self, or a self-reflexive position; third, the manner in which different individuals position themselves for a similar position.
From: R. Harre and L. van Langenhov, The Dynamics of Social Episode, Positioning Theory: Moral Contexts of Intentional Action, 1999.
Comments