- Are you confused by academic jargon? - Do you know your `discourse' from your `dialectic'? - Can you tell the difference between `anomie' and `alienation'? The Social Science Jargon Buster tackles the most confusing concepts in the social sciences, brea

Essentialism

Core definition

Belief that individuals, groups, objects, and even some beliefs have ultimate essences or inherent characteristics that transcend culture and history.

Longer explanation

Strip away what's constructed by time and place, culture and history and what's left? Many would say not much – we're the product of the world around us. But others believe ...

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