Irene Rafanell
Contact Details
Room L236 (Paisley Campus)
Tel: 0141 848 3363
Email: irena.rafanell@uws.ac.uk
Staff Profile
Dr Irene Rafanell is a lecturer in Sociology. Her research interests include the sociology of the body, social theory, philosophy of the social sciences, sociology of knowledge, feminist theory and gender studies (with emphasis on post-structuralist theory and sociology of sexuality). Her PhD thesis considers the contribution that recent social constructionist accounts of the body can make to productively re-conceptualize two major oppositions: the opposition of nature and society and the opposition of structure and individual. In order to do so, her PhD focuses on the analysis of sex/gender identity and critically compares two constructionist views: Bourdieu's work on the habitus, and Barnes' and Bloor's work on The Performative Theory of Social Institutions
Her current research concerns contemporary constructionist debates about the body, individual identity and collective behaviour. It extends the central argument of her PhD: that critical attention to social constructionist accounts of the body usefully highlight the step-by-step creation of social realities in and through interaction. She thus focuses on presenting an alternative framework for the constitutive power of individuals' interactions, with particular emphasis on sanctioning mechanisms. She draws upon the theoretical insights of social constructionist accounts of knowledge and constructionist accounts of the body in order to reveal the hitherto under-acknowledged constitutive power of social sanctioning. A crucial aspect of Dr Rafanell’s current research is to interrogate this hypothesis by drawing on substantial empirical data of her PhD to reveal the underlying mechanisms of constitution of collective patterns of behaviour among young individuals. She aims to highlight the contextual and contingent nature of individual activity and structural constraints, facilitating a fuller understanding of the interplay between macro and micro-phenomena in the constitution of collective behaviour as 'status' groups.
selected Publications
Rafanell, I (Forthcoming) “Durkheim and the performative model: reconfiguring social objectivity” In Sociological Objects: the reconfiguration of social theory. Ed: Cooper, G., King, A. and Rettie, R. Ashgate
Rafanell, I Gorringe, H (2007) “Embodiment of Caste: Oppression, Protest and Change” Sociology. 41 (1)
Rafanell, I et all (2007) “Embodying Sociology: The significance of the body for a sociological inquiry on inequality”. Edinburgh Working Papers in Sociology. no 43. Edinburgh.
Rafanell, I (2002) “The Social Genesis of Individual Practices: an individualistic versus a Collectivist Account”. Edinburgh Working Papers in Sociology. no 22. Edinburgh.
Rafanell, I (1991) "A historical overview of Ethnic conflicts in West Africa". L' Avenç. Revista d'Historia. 144. Barcelona.