R. Dingwall
Biological Determinism and Symbolic Interaction: Hereditary Streams and Cultural Roads
Dingwall, R.; Nerlich, B.; Hillyard, S.H.
Authors
B. Nerlich
S.H. Hillyard
Abstract
This article discusses current claims to have demonstrated a biological basis for elements of human behavior. It argues that many of these are seriously flawed by their misunderstandings of the nature of culture and social interaction, which leads to the adoption of an inappropriate realist epistemology. These issues were extensively debated during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when the intellectual and institutional boundaries between the social and biological sciences were more fluid. The arguments of that period about the role of “instinct” in human behavior are important resources for responding to the recent revival of biological determinism. As defined by Blumer and Strauss, however, symbolic interactionism has moved away from its engagement with biology. This article argues for reengagement and for a reappraisal of the historical resources available to sociologists in sifting the “imperialist” claims of biology while acknowledging the importance of embodiment as a constraint on social constructionism.
Citation
Dingwall, R., Nerlich, B., & Hillyard, S. (2003). Biological Determinism and Symbolic Interaction: Hereditary Streams and Cultural Roads. Symbolic Interaction, 26(4), 631-644. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2003.26.4.631
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Publication Date | Nov 1, 2003 |
Deposit Date | Apr 22, 2014 |
Publicly Available Date | Apr 22, 2014 |
Journal | Symbolic Interaction |
Print ISSN | 0195-6086 |
Electronic ISSN | 1533-8665 |
Publisher | Wiley |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 26 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 631-644 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2003.26.4.631 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1554276 |
Files
Accepted Journal Article
(315 Kb)
PDF
Copyright Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Robert Dingwall, Brigitte Nerlich and Samantha Hillyard (2003) 'Biological determinism and symbolic interaction: hereditary streams and cultural roads.', Symbolic interaction., 26 (4), 631-644., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/si.2003.26.4.631. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.
You might also like
In the field with two rural primary school head teachers in England
(2019)
Journal Article
The Rising Salience of the Absent: An Interactionist Analysis
(2019)
Journal Article
Bullshot: sporting shooting, alcohol and the two cultures
(2016)
Journal Article
Doing fieldwork
(2016)
Book
School Choice in an English Village: Living, Loyalty and Leaving
(2015)
Journal Article
Downloadable Citations
About Durham Research Online (DRO)
Administrator e-mail: dro.admin@durham.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
SheetJS Community Edition
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
PDF.js
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Font Awesome
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Powered by Worktribe © 2024
Advanced Search