000 01751nam a2200193 a 4500
008 130531s2013####xx#||||||||||||||#||####|
022 _a1468-4446
082 _aJournals
100 _aFoster, Karen
245 1 0 _aGeneration and discourse in working life stories
_hJournal
260 _a
_bBritish Journal of Sociology
_c2013
300 _aJournal article
500 _a<p>British Journal of Sociology Vol. 64 no.&nbsp;1 (Jun. 2013), p. 195-215.</p> <p>Available in the library. See journal shelves.</p> <p>Available online.</p>
520 _aFollowing Mannheim's () Problem of Generations, many scholars have warned of the analytical and political risks of conflating generation with cohort. Yet the temptation persists, as relying on cohort is a convenient method of dividing a population to study it. This article proposes that cohort is only convenient if the objective is understanding generations as definitive groups of people. It suggests a supplementary objective: understanding generation as a matter of discourse. Qualitative data from interviews with 52 Canadians illustrates how the discursive forms of generation in their stories render difference, human agency and social change in atomistic or voluntaristic terms. The most extreme manifestations of this theme appear related to the perception of generational conflict. Guided by James' principle of pragmatism, this article maintains that understanding generation as a discursive, historically contingent ‘thought’ with ‘effects’ is as important as understanding its structural form and contents.
650 _aPersonal narratives
650 _aSociology
650 _aCanada
856 _uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1468-4446.12014
_yOpen e-book (Ruskin students only)
999 _c131599
_d131599