Since its inception more than forty years ago, social representations theory has been subjected to several criticisms, particularly within British discursive psychology. This paper reviews four major controversies that lie in the areas of a) theoretical ambiguities, b) social determinism, c) cognitive reductionism and d) lack of a critical agenda. A detailed discussion and evaluation of these criticisms reveals that while some can be regarded as misinterpretations, others need to be treated as serious and constructive suggestions for extending and refining the current theoretical framework. The main argument underlying this review is that many of the criticisms are based on the difficulty to understand and integrate the complex, dynamic and dialectical relationship between individual agency and social structure that forms the core of social representations theory. Engaging with the critics is thus thought to provide clarification and to initiate critical dialogue, which is seen as crucial for theoretical development. Key Words: social representations, social determinism, cognitive reductionism, critical power 2 Social representations theory, originally developed by Serge Moscovici (1961), is certainly one of the more controversial concepts in contemporary social psychology. Despite its continuing attraction to many researchers and theorists around the world, it has received extensive criticism, particularly within the British context. While these critiques demonstrate that the theory of social representations is taken seriously enough to debate (Billig, 1987), we consider a thorough discussion of these objections essential for the conceptual development of the theory. It will be shown that whereas some of the criticisms can be regarded as misunderstandings, others need to be treated as serious and constructive points for improving or extending the current theoretical framework. Furthermore, engaging with these criticisms may promote a more critical version of social representations theory that invites a social psychology of conflict, resistance and social change relevant to today's world.On the whole, most critics recognise the importance of social representations theory within social psychology and are sympathetic to its aims and general propositions. In particular, many regard it as a necessary challenge to dominant US-American social psychology which they characterise as individualistic, behaviourist and experimentally driven (e.g. Jahoda, 1988;Parker, 1987;Potter & Wetherell, 1998). However, it is both in the details of its conceptual elaboration as in its practical application that critics find weaknesses. Since problems in the theoretical formulation of social representations are seen as responsible for alleged difficulties in its application , it is these theoretical controversies that we will focus on. We point to four central issues that need to be clarified or developed: a) ambiguities in defining social representations, b) social determinism, c) cognitive reductionism and d) the apparent lack ...