(Concepts for Critical Psychology) 1st Edition
by Mvikeli Ncube (Author)
In Identical Twins: The Social Construction and Performance of Identity in Culture and Society,
Ncube conceptualises twin identity as a multi-layered dynamic that
changes through performance, and explores twin identity through a social
constructionist approach.
Until now, mainstream twin studies
have mostly sought to explain social phenomena about twins from ‘inside’
the person, providing their explanations in terms of internal entities
such as personality structures with an obvious underlying essentialist
assumption. By examining the theories of Michel Foucault and Judith
Butler, Ncube shows that the ‘identity’ of twins is managed in both an
academic and cultural context, and in relation to specific audiences.
Relocating
the explanations that we gather in social research, including in
qualitative research in psychology, the book focuses its enquiry on the
social practices and interactions that people engage in with each other,
not delving ‘inside’ the person. Using real-world twin accounts, the
book maps out the social construction of twin identity, and allows for
the twins’ own voices to be examined in relation to twin experiences.
Also
addressing aspects of being misunderstood, as well as the idea of
misunderstanding oneself, this is fascinating reading for students and
researchers in critical and cultural psychology, and anyone interested
in twin studies.
