Defining the self

Mishra, V.ORCID: 0000-0002-0193-9736 (1996) Defining the self. In: Dissanayake, W., (ed.) Narratives of agency. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, U.S.A., pp. 117-150.

Abstract

This multidisciplinary collection underlines the importance of understanding the operations of human agency - defined here as the ability to exert power, specifically in resistance to ideological pressure. In particular, the contributors emphasize the historical and cultural conditions that facilitate the production of agency in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the cultures of China, India, and Japan. The contributors argue that traditional Western approaches to the study of these cultures have unduly focused on the pervasive influence of family and clan (China), caste and fatalism (India), and groupism (Japan), reminding us that members of a community have to make personal choices, struggle and interact with others, and confront new challenges, all of which involve intentionality and human agency.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Copyright:	1996 Regents of the University of Minnesota
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/13384

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