Stereotypes and the Construction of the Social World

Perry R. Hinton is a psychologist and professor in the Centre for Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick, UK. His research is in the area of stereotyping and intercultural communication. His previous books include The Perception of People: Integrating Cognition and Culture; Stereotypes, Cognition and Culture and The Psychology of Interpersonal Perception.

'In this impressive study of stereotypes, Perry Hinton discusses the discrepancies in their common usage, the problems associated with their social and cultural applications, and the overall complexities attendant on the conceptual attributes of the term. He deals with both the ideological purposes and consequences of stereotyping, and the possibilities of critical challenge and rejection. Along with all this, he takes into account the historical development of the term and the ways in which approaches to it have changed over time and varied within specific periods. The book is wide-ranging, clearly set out and accessibly written. I thoroughly recommend it.' - Professor Michael Pickering, Loughborough University, UK'Perry Hinton has written a superb book on stereotypes. He begins his analysis by placing the concept of stereotype in its historical and intellectual context. His review of psychological research on stereotyping is thorough yet engaging. The book captures both the simplicity of stereotypes as mere concepts about groups of people and the complexity of their embedding in social structures and ideologies. Hinton’s book communicates so well that undergraduate students could read it with understanding. Yet, the subtlety and depth of the book’s argumentation makes it also appropriate fare for social scientists who are curious about why stereotypes exist and how they affect social life.' - Professor Alice Eagly, Northwestern University, USA

• PrefaceChapter 1: What are stereotypes?Chapter 2: The invention of the stereotypeChapter 3: Stereotypes in mindChapter 4: Stereotypes, prejudice and social groupsChapter 5: Sharing stereotypesChapter 6: Stereotypes and ideologyChapter 7: Stereotypes and everyday storiesChapter 8: ‘Stereotypes’ and the construction of the social worldReferencesAuthor IndexSubject Index