Social representations play a central role in the development of human and social sciences and offer a common meeting ground for different fields of study. In particular, they unite two major areas of the study of mankind: psychology and sociology. Expressions of human and social relationships, social representations participate in individuals' everyday thought and offer an effective explanation of the origins and evolution of common sense. The author describes - in an exhaustive, clear, and accessible manner - the theory of social representations and its recent developments, which are crucial topics in any social psychology course. The book, written especially for students, is a concise, understandable introduction to this complex theory.

Contents: Introduction - 1. Origins of the Concept of Social Representation - 2. Social Representation Theory According to Serge Moscovici - 3. Structure and Dynamics of Social Representations - 4. Social Psychology and Social Representations - 5. Communication and Social Representations - 6. Epistemological and Methodological Issues - Conclusions - Bibliography.

Ida Galli teaches Social Psychology at the University of Naples and heads the Mediterranean Centre for the Study of Social Representations (CeMeRS).