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1981
Volume 18, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 1476-413X
  • E-ISSN: 1758-9509

Abstract

Abstract

In this article I have the following goals: to enter the debate on what defines social psychology as a social science, arguing that it is the prominence conceded to a focus on agreed – not natural – limits to human action; to add to this debate a further distinction – that between social facts and cultural/institutional facts – together with a theorization of the later highlighting the relevance of attending to the (de)legitimization of institutions; to extract consequences of this position for social psychology; finally, to offer two cases illustrating and hopefully clarifying the set of theoretical arguments and concepts I used before: Sophocles' , and the EU debate on Natura 2000, both evidencing a tension between the legal and the legitimate. I conclude by suggesting that such a social psychology can work together with the social sciences to ask questions productive for extending our knowledge of the ecological and the political.

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2019-06-01
2026-02-15
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