Identitetske strategije: u potrazi za smislom
Identity Strategies: In Search of Meaning

Summary/Abstract: The topic of the text is sociological understanding of identity. Drawing on the statement that in contemporary sociology there is no single-valued concept of identity, the author does not suggest a simple definition, but rather certain thematic-problematic dimensions and aspects he considers as necessary components of any attempt at sociological comprehension of this extremely important topic. It is done in two steps. First, the author analyses the concepts of identity elaborated in the past fifteen years by sociologists Anthony Giddens, Jean-Claude Kaufmann and Manuell Castells. Next, based also on the findings in the first part, the author sketches the outlines of a possible phenomenology of identity. The list of key characteristics of identity has to include the understanding that identity is not something finite, but something to be constructed, a strategically contemplated and developed process, a reflexive project that does not neglect the past, but is quintessentially turned towards the future. As such, identity is an important factor of social conflicts, which is predominantly "nurtured" by culture, and hides in its heart the most important question – that of the meaning of life.

• Details
• Contents