
Wolfgang Wagner
I am interested in theoretically based analyses of societal processes as there are: Culture change, public perception of science and technology, racism, stereotyping, social identity, violence, religious fundamentalism. Besides, I consider societal processes also a good source for theory building that complements experimental work. Theoretically I am working on several kinds of approaches including social representation theory. In terms of methodology I consider the strict division between qualitative and quantitative methods as obsolete. I feel at home in both.
Primary Interests:
- Communication, Language
- Culture and Ethnicity
- Group Processes
- Intergroup Relations
- Political Psychology
- Prejudice and Stereotyping
- Self and Identity
- Social Cognition
- Sociology, Social Networks
Books:
- Sugiman, T., Gergen, K., Wagner, W., & Yamada, Y. (Eds.). (2008). Meaning in action: Constructions, narratives, and representations. New York: Springer.
- Wagner, W., & Hayes, N. (2005). Everyday discourse and common sense: The theory of social representations. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Journal Articles:
- Gaskell, G., Allansdottir, A., Allum, N., Castro, P., Esmer, Y., Fischler, C., Jackson, J., Kronberger, N., Hampel, J., Mejlgaard, N., Quintanilha, A., Rämmer, A., Revuelta, G., Stares, S., Torgersen, H., Wagner, W. (2011). The 2010 Eurobarometer on the life sciences. Nature-Biotechnology, 29, 113-114.
- Gaskell, G., Allum, N. C., Wagner, W., Kronberger, N., Torgersen, H., Hampel, J., & Bardes, J. (2004). GM foods and the misperception of risk perception. Risk Analysis, 24, 185-194.
- Holtz, P., & Wagner, W. (2009). Essentialism and attribution of monstrosity in racist discourse: Right-wing Internet postings about Africans and Jews. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 19(6), 411-425.
- Kronberger, N., Holtz, P., & Wagner, W. (early view). Consequences of media information uptake and deliberation: Focus groups’ symbolic coping with synthetic biology. Public Understanding of Science.
- Sen, R., & Wagner, W. (2009). Cultural mechanics of fundamentalism -- Religion as ideology, divided identities and violence in post-Gandhi India. Culture and Psychology, 15(3), 299-326.
- Wagner, W. (2007). Vernacular science knowledge: Its role in everyday life communication. Public Understanding of Science, 16, 1, 7-22.
- Wagner, W., Duveen, G., Verma, J., & Themel, M. (2000). "I have some faith and at the same time I don't believe in it"--Cognitive polyphasia and culture change. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 10, 301-314.
- Wagner, W., Holtz, P., & Kashima, Y. (2009). Construction and deconstruction of essence in representing social groups: Identity projects, stereotyping, and racism. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 39(3), 363-383.
- Wagner, W., Kronberger, N., Nagata, M., Sen, R., Holtz, P., & Flores Palacios, F. (2010). Essentialist theory of "hybrids": From animal kinds to ethnic categories and race. Asian Journal of Social Psychology.
- Wagner, W., Kronberger, N., & Seifert, F. (2002). Collective symbolic coping with new technology: Knowledge, images and public discourse. British Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 323-343.
- Wagner, W., Sen, R., Permanadeli, R. & Howarth, C. (forthcoming). The veil and Muslim women’s identity: cultural pressures and resistance to stereotyping. Culture & Psychology.
Other Publications:
- Holtz, P., & Wagner, W. (forthcoming). Dehumanization, infrahumanization, and naturalization. In D. J. Christie (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology. New York, NY: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Kronberger, N., & Wagner, W. (2007). Inviolable versus alterable identities: Culture, biotechnology and resistance. In G. Moloney & I. Walker (Eds.), Social representations and identity: Content, process, and power. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Raudsepp, M., & Wagner, W. (2011). The essentially Other: Representational processes that divide groups. In I. Marková & A. Gillespie (Eds.), Trust and Conflict: Representation, Culture and Dialogue. London: Routledge.
- Wagner, W., Kronberger, N., Berg, S., & Torgersen, H. (2006). The monster in the public imagination. In G. Gaskell & M. Bauer (Eds.), Genomics and society: Legal, ethical and social dimensions. London: Earthscan.
Wolfgang Wagner
Dept of Psychology
Tartu
Estonia
- Skype Name: Lintsec