Samenvatting: Steph Lawler (2015) – Masquerading as Ourselves: Self-Impersonation and Social Life
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Course
Perfect Self (SOWVSB9060)
Institution
Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RU)
Een lijst met key concepts, een korte samenvatting en uitgebreide samenvatting van het artikel: Lawler, Steph. (2015). “Masquerading as Ourselves: Self-Impersonation and Social Life.” In: Identities: Sociological Perspectives. Polity Press (p. 116-135).
Steph Lawler (2015) – Masquerading as Ourselves: Self-Impersonation and Social Life ..............2
Key concepts ........................................................................................................................................2
Korte samenvatting van de tekst ..........................................................................................................3
Summary of the text .............................................................................................................................4
Introduction: between semblance and substance .............................................................................4
Persons, selves and masks ...............................................................................................................5
Dramas and lives..............................................................................................................................6
Mask, masquerade and character .....................................................................................................6
The sacred and the profane ..............................................................................................................7
The interaction order........................................................................................................................7
Performative identities .....................................................................................................................8
Girling the girl: the performativity of gender ..................................................................................9
Compelling performance .................................................................................................................9
Melancholy, sexuality, identification ............................................................................................10
Concluding remarks .......................................................................................................................11
, Steph Lawler (2015) – Masquerading as Ourselves: Self-Impersonation and
Social Life
Lawler, Steph. (2015). “Masquerading as Ourselves: Self-Impersonation and Social Life.” In:
Identities: Sociological Perspectives. Polity Press (p. 116-135).
Key concepts
Authenticity vs. Performing Identity:
- Western culture values authentic expression of identity over performing it.
- Reality TV contestants often claim authenticity while accusing others of acting.
- The belief is that true self naturally aligns with actions, and a gap suggests insincerity.
Semblance and Substance:
- “Semblance” is outward appearance; “substance” is inner reality.
- Tension between them relates to anxieties about authenticity.
- Desire for external appearance to reflect inner essence; Cinderella stories exemplify
this.
Makeover Shows and Authenticity:
- Contemporary makeover shows promise inner transformation alongside external
change.
- Example: “Ten Years Younger” suggests exterior makeover reveals inner self.
- Paradoxical: using external change to express internal authenticity.
Masquerades and Deeper Truths:
- Wendy Doniger suggests masquerades reveal hidden truths.
- Masquerading reaffirms an unchanging self, even if appearance changes.
- “Self-impersonation”: adopting traits that shape social personas through identity
performances.
Goffman and Butler on Identity Performance:
- Both Goffman and Butler view identity as shaped by actions in society.
- Goffman focuses on smooth societal functioning; Butler explores when norms fail.
- Both emphasize that individual actions are influenced by broader social context.
Goffman’s Dramaturgy:
- Goffman likens life to a stage; interactions have societal meanings.
- “Front stage” (public) and “backstage” (private) regions.
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