Abstract

JODELET, Denise. On the Spirit of time and social representations. Cultura representaciones soc [online]. 2020, vol.15, n.29, pp.19-36.  Epub Mar 07, 2022. ISSN 2007-8110.

In this text I present a theoretical reflection on the relationship between the notion of the “spirit of time”, in German “Zeitgeist”, the concept of representation and the theory of social representations, based on a review of the state of the art in the context of contemporary France. The notion of the spirit of time has been a relevant reference in the field of media culture in the last two decades. The relationship between the spirit of time and the theory of social representations can be approached by considering representation as the content of the spirit of time and/or as its result, that is, as a system of ideas that guides the positions of the public. The approach that is then required is to distinguish clearly, in the analysis of the spirit of time the part corresponding, when it has to do with a particular problem, to a system of social representations that serves as a basis for identyfing the positions adopted by individuals or groups, and that which corresponds to the co-constructed representations that derive from or justify these positions.

Keywords : social representations; spirit of time; Zeitgeist; mass culture.

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