Understanding Identity: A Multi-Paradigmatic Approach

This book is about understanding identity through a multi-paradigmatic approach. For this purpose, the book starts with a discussion of the four most diverse worldviews or paradigms (i.e., functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, radical structuralist). Then, it discusses identity and several aspects of it (i.e., human nature, identity, place attachment, nationalism, racism, feminism, discrimination, multiculturalism) from the viewpoints of the four most diverse worldviews or paradigms. The book concludes by recommending paradigm diversity. The book crosses two existing lines of literature; social philosophy on the one hand and identity on the other hand. The main theme of the book is as follows, social theory can usually be conceived in terms of four key paradigms: functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical structuralist. The four paradigms are founded upon different assumptions about the nature of social science and the nature of society. Each paradigm generates theories, concepts, and analytical tools which are different from those of other paradigms. The book emphasizes that the four views expressed are equally scientific and informative; each look at the phenomenon under consideration from a certain paradigmatic viewpoint. An understanding of different paradigms leads to a more comprehensive and a more balanced understanding of the multi-faceted nature of the subject matter. In the end, the book concludes by recommending paradigm diversity. This book is unique in the sense that it is: (1) systematic and methodic, (2) fundamental and applied, (3) multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary, (4) multi-dimensional and multi-perspectival, (5) fair and unbiased, and (6) it is enlightening.