Place And Belonging

In order to critically discuss the concepts of place and belonging in relation to how identities are constructed, a definition of identity should be given. Bauman (2004) argues that classical sociologists did not directly discuss the concept of identity because it has only became a social concern in recent times. Identity has both a social element, relating to the social roles an individual person plays, and also a psychological element, which encompasses who the person is. Some aspects of identities are chosen, whilst some can be given to us through labels and social categories such as gender. Identity can be both an individual or group experience, with shared identities creating a sense of belonging. The concept of place can also be argued as …show more content…
The concept of belonging is arguably very important in relation to how identities are constructed. The idea of belonging is changing, in the past, the idea of belonging was much more fixed and concrete and based on concepts such as religion or class (Marsh et al, 2007). Now, the idea of belonging is much more complex. We are able to choose from a huge variety of different groups, communities, and lifestyles in which we want to associate ourselves with, and that as a result, shape our social identities (Marsh et al, 2007). The relational mode describes a sense of belonging among people, for example between family and friends. Mason (2011) describes this relational belonging as having resemblances to others. She states that resemblances cover a huge variety of different characteristics from physical appearance, to character and speech and mannerisms (Mason, 2011). This mode shows that the concept of belonging helps to construct one’s identity as it highlights the importance of relationships in shaping a person. This mode can be seen positively as in relationships between family and friends, we recognise that they are similar to us, and as such might share the same interests or values. However, the