Reconceptualizing reflexivity and dissonance in professional and personal domains.

Full Abstract

Debates around 'reflexivity' and the construction of the gendered self within late modernity have occupied the attention of both 'reflexive modernization' theorists (Beck, Giddens and Lash 1994; Beck and Beck-Gernsheim 1996; Giddens 1991, 1992) as well as gender and feminist theorists. While theorists such as Beck and Giddens have been preoccupied with establishing the connection between reflexivity and the construction of the 'non-gendered' self, gender and feminist theorists have sought to amplify the debate by exploring the intersecting nexus of contemporary theorizing, more fully within this context. This paper explores the theoretical underpinnings of these debates and their application to specific professional and personal domains. I consider three case studies to assess these issues as outlined in my own work, Brooks 2006, and in the work of Wajcman and Martin 2002, and McDowell 1997, which draw on empirical research and explore changes to gender identity within professional and personal domains. I conclude that there is little evidence in the research presented here of any systematic reconfiguring of gender identities leading to a detraditionalization of gender as suggested by the 'reflexive modernization' theorists.

Author information

Author/s: Brooks, Ann (A);

Affiliation: School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide. ann.brooks(-atsign-)adelaide.edu.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The British journal of sociology (Br J Sociol), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Sep; vol 59 (issue 3) : pp 539-59

Dates: Created 2008/09/10; Completed 2008/12/05;

PMID: 18782154, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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