Introduction to the Theory of Social Representations

Humans are social animals who live through interaction with each other. Individuals, therefore, do not think in isolation. Instead, they construct a framework of shared references that define how to think about the world around them. Such shared references can be viewed as social representations. This seminar aims to familiarize students with social representations theory, an original approach to social psychology. The interdisciplinary orientation of this approach provides us with new insights into many key aspects of modern life. With the help of social representations theory, we are able to re-examine and shed new light on engaging societal phenomena such as health and illness, madness, AIDS, biogenetics, intelligence, food, money, or race.