Review of Social Representations in the “Social Arena”

SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS IN THE “SOCIAL ARENA” is grounded in Moscovici’s seminal work on innovation and minority influence in groups. As de Rosa demonstrates, the theory has been fruitful and influential in Europe but not part of the mainstream in the English-speaking world of social psychology. Scholars who decide to reach for this book may find both crucial theoretical reflections presented in the first part, as well as multiple examples of research projects that use different methodology and are applied to a variety of topics. Post-graduate students who wish to broaden their understanding of the theory, including its history and development across time and space, may particularly benefit from reading contributions of three generations of social scientists spread all over the world. Social Representations in the ‘Social Arena’ is not an easy read, and it does not contain a general overview. Instead, it allows the readers to take different perspectives, probably seeing familiar research topics with new eyes. The vast majority of authors represent European universities, each with a slightly different approach to the theory and ways of sharing their thoughts, due to personal differences as well as language and culture. In fact, the book in itself could be study material for a cultural psychology seminar. For those who can read only one language, the volume constitutes a first opportunity to encounter such a variety of social representations scholars’ contributions. Almost every author shares his or her interpretation of the theory in a chapter, except for the editor whose contributions amount to four, and both open and close the volume, providing a common thread and aiding to mentally organize this rich food for thought. de Rosa’s introduction should actually be treated as the first chapter due to the crucial importance of assessing 50 years of history of the theory of social representations focusing on its founder’s seminal book. Well