description: The central problem of social theory is 'structure and agency'. How do the objective features of society influence human agents? Determinism is not the answer, nor is conditioning as currently conceptualised. It accentuates the way structure and culture shape the social context in which individuals operate, but it neglects our personal capacity to define what we care about most and to establish a modus vivendi expressive of our concerns. Through inner dialogue, 'the internal conversation', individuals reflect upon their social situation in the light of current concerns and projects. On the basis of a series of unique, in-depth interviews, Archer identifies three distinctive forms of internal conversation. These govern agents' responses to social conditioning, their individual patterns of social mobility and whether or not they contribute to social stability or change. Thus the internal conversation is seen as being the missing link between society and the individual, structure and agency.
language: English
title: Life of Pi
titlecomplete: Life of Pi
characters: Richard Parker, Pi Patel, Orange Juice
genres: Literature, Classics, Literary Fiction, Adventure, Novels, India, Philosophy, Magical Realism, Fiction, Fantasy
ratings_count: 1579323
places: Pondicherry, Pacific Ocean, Toronto, Ontario, Tomatlan
awards: awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: Booker Prize, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize
category: Comic Fiction, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Exclusive Books Boeke Prize, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Deutscher Buchpreis (German Book Prize)
category: Belletristik, awardedAt: 978336000000
name: Governor General's Literary Awards / Prix littéraires du Gouverneur général
category: Fiction, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Lincoln Award, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: CBC Canada Reads, awardedAt: 1420099200000
name: Luisterboek Award, awardedAt: 978336000000
name: QWF (Quebec Writer's Federation) Award
category: Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
category: Adult Fiction
publisher: HarperAudio