Representing reality

the long version

The idea of social construction has become a commonplace of much social research, yet precisely what is constructed, and how, and even what constructionism means, is often left murky or taken for granted. Potter offers a tour of the central themes raised by these questions. The points are illustrated throughout with examples taken from newspaper stories, relationship counselling sessions, accounts of the paranormal, social workers' assessments of violent parents, informal talk between programme makers, political arguments and everyday conversations. Covering work by Bloor, Collins, Knorr Cetina, Latour, Mulkay, Schaffer, Shapin and Woolgar, Garfinkel, Jefferson, Heritage, Pollner, Pomerantz, Sacks, Schegloff, Smith and Wooffitt, Barthes, Derrida, Foucault, Haraway, Lyotard, Rorty and Saussure. This book moves beyond an account of major themes and developments to address questions lying at the root of all social research.