Taken for Granted - (Princeton University Press (Wildguides)) by Eviatar Zerubavel (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

How the words we use--and don't use--reinforce dominant cultural norms

Why is the term "openly gay" so widely used but "openly straight" is not? What are the unspoken assumptions behind terms like "male nurse," "working mom," and "white trash"? Taken for Granted exposes the subtly encoded ways we talk about topics like race, gender, sexuality, and social status, offering a provocative look at the word choices we make every day without even realizing it. Eviatar Zerubavel describes how the words we use provide telling clues about the things we take for granted. By marking "women's history" or "Black History Month," we are also reinforcing the apparent normality of the history of white men. Zerubavel shows how this tacit normalizing of certain identities, practices, and ideas helps to maintain their cultural dominance--and shape what we take for granted.

From the Back Cover

"An interesting and remarkable read. Zerubavel offers a prism through which to see our world differently, and a theoretical provocation that calls for further debate."--Iddo Tavory, author of Summoned: Identification and Religious Life in a Jewish Neighborhood

"Original, engaging, and very readable. Taken for Granted links semiotics, social theory, and contemporary issues with great facility, yielding wonderful insights."--Ari Adut, author of Reign of Appearances: The Misery and Splendor of the Public Sphere

Review Quotes

"Winner of the Charles Horton Cooley Award, Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction"

"Winner of the Susanne K. Langer Award for Outstanding Scholarship in the Ecology of Symbolic Form, Media Ecology Association"

About the Author

Eviatar Zerubavel is Board of Governors and Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Rutgers University. His many books include Social Mindscapes: An Invitation to Cognitive Sociology and The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday Life.