This opening session introduces the course structure, expectations, and key questions. We will discuss the concept of identity as a central theme in sociology, situating it between the individual (“I” and “self”) and the collective (“we” and group belonging). Classical foundations of the “self” (Mead) as the starting point for sociological approaches to identity. The lecture also provides a meta-perspective on the sociology of identity: how the discipline has historically chosen its objects of study, which identities become the focus of research, and which are often overlooked
Field Visit: Moravian Gallery (25 September 2025)
This session explores the transition from individual identity (“me”) to collective belonging (“we”), examining how personal and social dimensions of identity are interlinked. A key theme will be Erving Goffman’s concept of stigma and how processes of labeling, recognition, and exclusion shape both individual self-understanding and group dynamics. We will also consider Nira Yuval-Davis’s argument for moving beyond simplistic “us” versus “them” dichotomies in identity studies.
This session examines the idea of intersectional individuality through Georg Simmel’s classic concept of the “intersection of social circles.” We will explore how overlapping memberships in multiple social groups shape unique personal identities, and how this perspective connects to broader debates on intersectionality and the emancipation of women. The lecture will also introduce the course project in detail, with guidance on designing interview questions, conducting qualitative interviews, and preparing presentations.
Interconnections Between Subjective and Objective Social Realities. This session examines the concept of collective identity by exploring how subjective experiences of belonging intersect with objective social structures and institutions. Drawing on Berger and Luckmann’s classic theory of the social construction of reality, we will discuss how shared meanings, social practices, and institutional frameworks both shape and are shaped by individuals’ sense of identity.
This session introduces structural approaches to identity, focusing on how social categories such as class and ethnicity are embedded in systems of symbolic power and domination. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu, we will explore how language, classification, and symbolic hierarchies shape social realities and sustain inequalities.
This is a self-study week (no lecture). Students will read and reflect on Judith Butler’s analysis of identity as performative, focusing on how gender is constituted through repeated practices and discourses rather than as a fixed category.
This week addresses the sociological study of ethnic and racial identities, with particular attention to how national belonging and cultural difference are represented in public discourse. The session will include a guest lecture and a field visit to the Museum of Roma Culture in Brno. Students will engage with issues of representation, marginalization, and national identity through both scholarly readings and empirical observation.
This session explores how identities are formed, negotiated, and contested within organizational settings. We will consider how professional roles, organizational cultures, and institutional structures shape individual and collective identities. The lecture will also highlight how identities in organizations are dynamic, involving processes of alignment, resistance, and adaptation to organizational norms and expectations.
This week focuses on the methodological challenges of studying identity. We will compare different approaches to identity research, with a particular emphasis on grounded theory and phenomenology. The lecture will discuss how these methodologies conceptualize identity work, how researchers collect and interpret data, and what strengths and limitations each approach brings to the study of identities in organizational and social contexts.
This week considers identity in relation to cultural traditions and historical contexts. Students will work in groups on assigned activities (published in IS during Week 10) that analyze how identities are shaped, preserved, and transformed through historical narratives, cultural symbols, and diasporic experiences.
Students will present the results of their course projects (in-depth interviews on identity). Presentations should summarize the research process (design of questions, conduction of interviews, data processing) and highlight both the interviewer’s and interviewee’s reflections.
Continuation of student presentations (if needed). Final recap discussion: synthesizing key themes of the course, revisiting central theoretical approaches (structural vs. performative, individual vs. collective), and reflecting on applied case studies (visual identity, Roma culture, organizations, etc.). Preparation for the final exam: review of readings, key concepts, and discussion of the final assignment
