This book presents the discourse of identity as an area of analysis for the social sciences. The authors incorporate current scholarship into a cohesive discussion that will be accessible to students. Each chapter explores a different dimension or context of identity in everyday life, with a particular focus on how identities are negotiated and managed. In chapters investigating national, ethnic, and gender identities, the authors devote a section to the impact of prejudice on constructing these identities. In chapters exploring identities in healthcare, organizational, and virtual environments, the authors provide a section examining identity challenges specific to these contexts. Every chapter includes data from previous studies that are fully explained in the text.

The introduction offers a broad view of identity and discourse, touching upon a variety of methodologies but focusing on interactional contexts rather than advocating a specific approach. Ch. 2, “National identities,” introduces the notion of community and the discursive construction of national identity. Ch. 3, “Ethnic and religious identities,” transitions from national to ethnic identities with a separate section on religious identities. Ch. 4, “Gender identities,” provides an overview of women's and men's gender identities. While the chapter examines the interconnections between gender and other identities, especially ethnicity, it does not discuss gender identity outside of heteronormative contexts. Ch. 5, “Health identities,” traces the ways in which identities of health and illness are negotiated and challenged in a variety of social and institutional settings. Interactions among patients, doctors, and caregivers are analyzed, as well as the way in which identities may change as illnesses progress. Ch. 6, “Identities and the law,” considers the identity construction of lawyers in the channels of written and spoken discourse, judges in discourse about themselves and others, and lay people in the roles of witness and defendants. Ch. 7, “Organizations, work and identities,” examines not only the occupational identities of individuals but also the identities of organizations as embodied in patterns of talk and interaction. Ch. 8, “Virtual identities,” expands the analysis of discourse into online communities, such as social networking sites, and computer-mediated communication, including email and text messaging.

Chapters begin with an outline of topics and a list of key terms, which are bolded in the chapter text and defined in the margins. The first section of each chapter typically defines the type of identity being examined; the last section of each chapter offers the authors' discussion of an aspect of, or issue regarding, the topics covered. Chapters end with a series of boxes: a chapter summary; a brief, annotated list of recommended further readings; a paragraph connecting the chapter to others in the book; and an “activity box” that could be used as the basis for classroom assignments. Each chapter can stand alone as a class reading. In its entirety, the book offers an introduction to discursive approaches to identity for students who are encountering discourse and identity studies for the first time.