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Cultural trauma and collective identity / Jeffrey C. Alexander, Ron Eyerman, Bernhard Giesen, Neil J. Smelser. Piotr Sztompka.

By: Alexander, Jeffrey C, 1947- [author].
Contributor(s): Eyerman, Ron, 1947- [author] | Giesen, Bernhard, 1948- [author] | Smelser, Neil J [author] | Sztompka, Piotr [author].
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Berkeley, California : University of California Press, [2004]Copyright date: ©2004Description: ix, 314 pages ; 23 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780520235953 (paperback); 9780520235946; 0520235959; 0520235940.Subject(s): Social problems -- Psychological aspects | Psychic trauma -- Social aspects | Crises -- Psychological aspectsDDC classification: 361.1
Contents:
Toward a theory of cultural trauma / Jeffrey C. Alexander -- Psychological trauma and cultural trauma / Neil J. Smelser -- Cultural trauma : slavery and the formation of African American identity / Ron Eyerman -- The trauma of perpetrators : the Holocaust as the traumatic reference of German national identity / Bernhard Giesen -- The trauma of social change : a case of postcommunist societies / Piotr Sztompka -- On the social construction of moral universals : the "Holocaust" from war crime to trauma drama / Jeffrey C. Alexander -- Epilogue : September 11, 2001, as cultural trauma / Neil J. Smelser.
Summary: In this collaboratively authored work, five distinguished sociologists develop an ambitious theoretical model of "cultural trauma"--And on this basis build a new understanding of how social groups interact with emotion to create new and binding understandings of social responsibility. Looking at the "meaning making process" as an open-ended social dialogue in which strikingly different social narratives vie for influence, they outline a strongly constructivist approach to trauma and apply this theoretical model in a series of extensive case studies, including the Nazi Holocaust, slavery in the United States, and September 11, 2001.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode
General lending MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending 361.1 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Checked out 08/10/2026 00230939
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this collaboratively authored work, five distinguished sociologists develop an ambitious theoretical model of "cultural trauma"--and on this basis build a new understanding of how social groups interact with emotion to create new and binding understandings of social responsibility. Looking at the "meaning making process" as an open-ended social dialogue in which strikingly different social narratives vie for influence, they outline a strongly constructivist approach to trauma and apply this theoretical model in a series of extensive case studies, including the Nazi Holocaust, slavery in the United States, and September 11, 2001.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Toward a theory of cultural trauma / Jeffrey C. Alexander -- Psychological trauma and cultural trauma / Neil J. Smelser -- Cultural trauma : slavery and the formation of African American identity / Ron Eyerman -- The trauma of perpetrators : the Holocaust as the traumatic reference of German national identity / Bernhard Giesen -- The trauma of social change : a case of postcommunist societies / Piotr Sztompka -- On the social construction of moral universals : the "Holocaust" from war crime to trauma drama / Jeffrey C. Alexander -- Epilogue : September 11, 2001, as cultural trauma / Neil J. Smelser.

In this collaboratively authored work, five distinguished sociologists develop an ambitious theoretical model of "cultural trauma"--And on this basis build a new understanding of how social groups interact with emotion to create new and binding understandings of social responsibility. Looking at the "meaning making process" as an open-ended social dialogue in which strikingly different social narratives vie for influence, they outline a strongly constructivist approach to trauma and apply this theoretical model in a series of extensive case studies, including the Nazi Holocaust, slavery in the United States, and September 11, 2001.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Preface (p. vii)
  • 1. Toward a Theory of Cultural Trauma (p. 1)
  • 2. Psychological Trauma and Cultural Trauma (p. 31)
  • 3. Cultural Trauma: Slavery and the Formation of African American Identity (p. 60)
  • 4. The Trauma of Perpetrators: The Holocaust as the Traumatic Reference of German National Identity (p. 112)
  • 5. The Trauma of Social Change: A Case of Postcommunist Societies (p. 155)
  • 6. On the Social Construction of Moral Universals: The "Holocaust" from War Crime to Trauma Drama (p. 196)
  • Epilogue: September 11, 2001, as Cultural Trauma (p. 264)
  • Bibliography (p. 283)
  • Index (p. 299)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Jeffrey C. Alexander is Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Sociology Department at Yale University