Playing With Purpose—Adventures in Performative Social Science

Distilling decades of work spanning their prestigious careers, Mary M. and Kenneth J. Gergen make a strong case for enriching the social sciences through performative work. They present a unique exploration of the origins of performative social science and provide an intellectually rich overview of its significance in the field, as well as its evolving potential. Many of their own performance pieces are included in the volume. The authors envision a broadening of the social sciences, making it more accessible to non-experts and opening up new dialogues between society and science—and changing the world in the process. Social scientists and researchers will gain a valuable new perspective from this insightful tome.

Mary M. and Kenneth J. Gergen are among the originators of performative social science. Working both together and separately, they have been experimenting in various domains of performative social science since the 1980s. Their work has spanned literary, dramatic, and the visual arts. Both authors claim their origins in social psychology, but have long since disregarded disciplinary boundaries to generate dialogue both within the scholarly sphere and between scholars and practitioners. Mary M. Gergen is Professor Emerita, Penn State University, Brandywine, in Psychology and Women’s Studies. Her primary work has been at the crossroads of feminist theory and social constructionism. Among her major writings are Feminist Thought and the Structure of Knowledge; Social Construction: Entering the Dialogue (with K. J. Gergen); and Feminist Reconstructions in Psychology: Narrative, Gender, and Performance. She has performed at numerous conferences, offering dramatic monologues, often on the role of women in society. Kenneth J. Gergen is a Senior Research Professor at Swarthmore College. He has been a major contributor to social constructionist theory and to relational theory and practice. Among his major writings are Realities and Relationships; The Saturated Self; An Invitation to Social Construction; and Relational Being, Beyond Self and Community. His work in performative social science has focused on philosophical issues, relational processes and meaning-making. Mary and Ken are two of the founders of the Taos Institute, a nonprofit organization bringing constructionist theory together with societal practices, including performance.