In these postmodern times, we are bombarded with rumours, allegations of conspiracies and revelations about the real, but hidden objectives of powerful interest groups. We cannot live without collective representations. They are inside us, as part of our ‘covert’ culture. But the observation that they are a substantial part of our life also requires us to be very attentive to their important and partly unconscious negative role. Although these representations are often useful, they can also be misleading and dangerous.
In this publication, Dr. Jan Berting presents the disjunction phenomenon. He analyses nine cases, treating the disjunction between a collective representation of society and the role of ‘reality’ in different ways.
Dr. Jan Berting is professor emeritus (Sociology and Social Policy) of the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. For 15 years, he has lived in Marseille. Some of his recent works are Fundamentalisme en Democratie, (2004); Europe: a Heritage, a Challenge, a Promise (2006), translated into Italian as Europa: un ‘eredità, una sfida, una promessa (2007), and De versplinterde samenleving (2006), translated into English as The Fragmented Society.
