Interplay between culture and the unfolding of a field enquiry: Social Representations consensual and reified universes in Latin America

Social Representations field of enquiry has inspired a vast corpus of research aimed at an in depth understanding of social-related phenomena and of the dynamics underlying the conditions of emergence, transmission and transformation of social knowledge. Within the Latin American geo-cultural context, which is the setting adopted for the three studies hereby presented, this theory has flourished deeply embedded in an historical socio-political context that shaped viewpoints and attitudes towards it. Henceforth, it has been assimilated, integrated, adapted and shaped according to specificities of this context, pushing forward a particular anchoring on an ideological defense of research as a medium to a comprehensive understanding of the complex reality and to an actual impact on social change. The first study conducted is aimed at exploring the interconnection between the confluence of a set of socio-historical factors within Latin America societies and the adoption and growth of Social Representations theory as part of a broader set of streams. These have put forward alternatives to a logical-positivistic model of science, thus bringing into light populations previously ignored from a political, social and economic standpoint. The second and third study are derived from a broader project aimed at taking stock of the temporal, thematic, methodological and geographical evolution of the Theory of Social Representations through a systematic literature review based on a meta- theoretical analysis of the entire corpus of scientific production published globally (de Rosa, 2013a, 2013b). Considering only the Latin American contributions to this field of enquiry, we intend to convey an empirically-based take on the interplay between the theory and the geo-cultural context. Respectively, the second study is based on a systematic meta- theoretical analysis of 594 contributions from Latin American authors (including journal articles, book chapters and conference presentations) adopting as interpretative lens the five main axis of the Grid for Meta Theoretical Analysis of the Literature on Social Representations which crosses meta-data (traditional bibliometric variables) with data pertaining to the theoretical, methodological and thematic dimensions of the theory of Social Representations (de Rosa, 2013b). More specifically, we have explored through a Multiple Correspondence Analysis the associations in Latin American literature between variables pertaining to the following sections: “Reference to theoretical constructs specific of Social Representation Theory” (e.g. genesis, processes, functions, structure, dynamics of transmission and transformation): “Reference to other theoretical constructs and/or theories”, “Thematic analysis” and “Methodological profile” (e.g. research design, instruments, techniques and sample characterization, size of sample, unit of analysis). The results show a growing trend of internationalization and empirically corroborate the special feature of Latin America in bridging different perspectives so to better grasp several dimensions of social objects, as evidenced by the wide array of research published in journals from distinct disciplines. Moreover, it shows a complex interaction between the miscellaneous methodological choices and the Specific References to the theory, putting in evidence a wide receptivity of different methods, often combined. This feature may provide a profitable ground for a wider development ofa multi-level, multi-theoretical and multi-methodological coherency as suggested by de Rosa in her modelling approach (e.g. de Rosa, 2013a; 2014). In spite of the major role of two schools of thought- the Anthropological-Ethnographic and the Structural approach- our results show an integration of other theoretical constructs and theories aligned with a specific and fruitful way of this context to adopt external influences without bending to rigid divisions. The third study focuses specifically on contributions presented by Latin American researchers to scientific events worldwide. A descriptive look of an extensive corpus of abstracts and keywords presented in several types of scientific events was combined with a Hierarchical Descending Cluster Analysis in an attempt to search for the thematic and methodological paths, trends and main clusters evidenced in this dissemination venue. The rationale for this study is related to the nature of scientific events as frequent and periodic thus constituting a proxy for an updated and immediate look into the evolution of specific thematic, theoretical and methodological choices across time. This is even more relevant if one considers the scope of the theory in encompassing social phenomena and issues that contemporary societies reflect upon or show concern with. Given the aforementioned social orientation shared by Latin American researchers, the multitude of themes and sub themes that have been addressed through these venues show two interesting trends: the pervasiveness of concern for critical areas within this context, such as Education, Health and Politics associated with an updated and constant interaction with new issues and problems that arise related to these fields, intertwined with the own dynamic nature of nowadays societies. The analysed sources were retrieved from the specialized @-library on Social Representations and Communication, within the European/International Joint PhD in Social Representations & Communication– the So.Re.Com. “A.S. de Rosa” @-library for Documentation, Networking, and Training.