Synopses & Reviews
Exploring Twins presents an analysis of twinship considered as a specifically social phenomenon. Drawing upon a wide range of interdisciplinary, historical and cross-cultural data, Elizabeth A. Stewart argues that in both traditional and modern societies, twinship represents a recurrent anomaly which calls into question the assumptions around which different types of society are organized. Part I identifies and analyzes the fascinating range of cultural and disciplinary approaches to the interpretation of twinship, while Part II considers the possibilities for a distinctively social analysis of twinship.
Review
"This book provides a real insight into the position of twins in society at different stages of human and academic development and into the way in which twins are used by different societies to reflect theories on the nature/nurture debate. For anyone wishing to learn more about how society has treated the twin relationship and possible reasons why this may be, Elizabeth Stewart has provided a thought-provoking starting point." -- Jane Ellison BSc,
Tamba (Twins and Multiple Births Association) Past Chair and Trustee
"There has been too little study of the considerable social significance of twins...in society at large. Elizabeth Stewart's Study ranges widely through rich anthropological sources and the large body of material available from western literature, films, and news media." -- Elizabeth Bryam MD FRCP FRCPCH, President, International Society for Twin Studies
Synopsis
Contents: Part I - Myths About Twins - The Comparative Constitution of Twinship: Anthropological and Ethnographical Perspectives - Twins in Literature, Films, Television and the Press - Heredity and Environment: The Classic Twin Method - Measuring Twinship: Psychologist on Twins - The Divided Self: The Psychoanalytic Approach - Part II - The Social Construction of Twinship: Family, Parents and Siblings - The Social Construction of Twinship: We Two Together - Are They Identical?: Twins' Parents Questionnaire and General Public Questionnaire - Thinking Twinship: Childhood and the Formation of Self and Identity - Towards the Social Analysis of Twinship.
About the Author
Elizabeth A. Stewart is in the Department of Sociology, London School of Economics.