Samfundsteori

The Cultural Production of Social Movements offers a theory of cultural practices, protest tactics, strategic planning and deliberation, and movement organizational structures: ¿ideological contention.¿ It is a theory of ideology ¿from below.¿ The Cultural Production of Social Movements shows how conflicts¿both with external political forces and disagreements, dissensus, and the decision-making process internal to social movements¿produce knowledge and meanings that, in turn, impact upon and change the practices that contribute to how social movements are structured and organized. The Cultural Production of Social Movements theorizes the relationship between consciously held superordinate ideas, the changing composition of progressive and oppositional social struggles, and the social worlds they hope to inhabit. Analyzing the Black Panther Party, specifically Kathleen Cleaver¿s break with the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee and her contributions to the Party, Operaismo (or Workerism) in Italy and the relationship between shifting organizational strategies, inventive tactics, and novel and expansive ways to theorize class struggles, and the communal composition of ¿Worker-Recovered Enterprise Movements¿ in contemporary Argentina, this book shows how movement ideologies change and how meanings structure organizations, mobilizations, and futures. In The Cultural Production of Social Movements ideology is neither a static set of principles, nor is an unconscious orientation towards power and governance. Rather, it is the contentious, democratizing, and deliberative processes¿which become realized as tactics in protests, struggles, defeats, and victories¿that makes the relationship between movements, and what they ¿mean¿ conscious to its participants.

"A wave of discontent is sweeping across the world, and fewer and fewer people feel truly happy. Surveys show a constant increase in dissatisfaction, stress, and depression worldwide. What is happening? Why is the level of unhappiness reaching worrisome numbers? What are the latest innovations from nations, corporations, schools, and scientists to reverse this tendency and increase happiness? Andrâes Oppenheimer explores this global phenomenon and offers new perspectives to get out of the well of discontent. From rigorous research undertaken in several countries, he concludes that economical growth--the parameter used to measure success--is necessary, but not enough to increase happiness. There are other factors that are fueling hopelessness, such as the loss of a sense of community, the lack of purpose, and the addiction to social media. However, the most interesting aspect of all is that straightforward and accessible solutions to enhance satisfaction in life are emerging. Through this insightful and entertaining work, readers submerge in the new "science of happiness," based on impact assessments supported by solid evidence. Oppenheimer expands the concept of progress and shares fresh strategies to fight unhappiness within countries, corporations, and schools. He tells us of the "schools of happiness" he visited in India, the "social prescribers" he interviewed in the United Kingdom, and the volunteer groups he talked to in Denmark, Finland, and Bhutan. This is an inspiring book that will change everything we always thought we knew about happiness."--Provided by publisher.

This book is based on the understanding that the diversity and heterogeneity of science and society are not only issue of critique, but engender experimental forms of collaboration. Building on John Dewey's experimental theory of knowledge and inquiry, practice theory, science and technology studies and the anthropology of nature, the book offers a trenchant redefinition of a present-focused sociology as a science of experience in the spirit of experimentalism. Crisis, instead of being a mere problem, is understood as the baseline for creativity and innovation. Committed to the experimental pursuit, the book provides an experience-based methodological approach for an inter- and trans disciplinary sociology. Finally, it argues for a globalized and transformative sociological outreach beyond established epistemic and national borders. This book is of interest to sociologists and other social scientists pursuing experimentalism in theory, method and/or practice.

What if you could better understand yourself? What if you could do one better and understand how your personal psychology affects society on a global scale? What if, because of that, you could change the world?Societal Codependency: Subconsciously Driven Human Behavior and the State of World Society points the way.When author Gerald Radlauer, MD, went on a medical mission in Kenya in 2005, he was shocked not by the poverty-which he had been expecting to witness-but by the abject poverty in the face of the country's abundance of natural resources, agreeable climate, and trillions of dollars in financial aid. As he wondered why this was, he developed a theory: colonialism and the slave trade created generational trauma that continues today. Such impoverished mindsets exist around the world, often manipulated by societal rulers to maintain the status quo: this can be called "societal codependency." Radlauer's book defines codependency, identifies characteristics of codependency on personal and societal levels, and describes the consequences of widespread societal codependent sentiment. Helpfully, Radlauer concludes with an alternative collective way of being based on expression of our individual authentic selves as an advocate for selves personally as well as the greater society at large. Both brutally honest and inspiring, Societal Codependency offers not policy solutions but perhaps something that is, ultimately, both stronger and longer lasting: world-issue solutions based on our underlying subconsciously derived thought processes and subsequent outward expression.

This book explores the most important aspects of populism as a significant social phenomenon. It recapitulates the approaches to defining populism in the social sciences, singles out the most important concepts in the definition of populism, and presents them to the readership. Specific to this book is that it seeks to promote an approach that sees populism as a meta-ideology, that is, an ideology that uses other political ideologies instrumentally. In addition, the book Populism as Meta Ideology identifies the most important factors that have contributed to the growth of populism in recent times. Modernization, globalization, the crisis of political parties, and the transformation of the public sphere have been identified as such factors. A chapter is devoted to each of these factors in the book. The book concludes by examining the interaction between populism and liberal democracy, both theoretically and practically. 

This book presents essays that address fundamental issues in social and cultural theory by viewing them through the lens of aesthetic theory. Drawing on the aesthetic theories of Theodor W. Adorno, Gregory Bateson, Jean-Marie Guyau, Talcott Parsons and Georg Simmel, it suggests a new take on basic sociological concepts and methodologies. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including the sensuality of social action, social construction of unreality, and The Rolling Stones' enduring success as a reflection of our society and culture. The book's title Sociology in a New Key refers to a classic work by Susanne K. Langer, whose Philosophy in a New Key argued for a reorientation of modern philosophical thought based on a thorough account of symbolism in general and of the arts in particular. In this way, the basic ideas and assumptions of the philosophical tradition are transposed to new understandings and perspectives. After all, it was Georg Simmel himself who claimed to have gained several of his general theoretical insights "e;via the detour of reflections on the essence of art."e; The book will appeal to scholars and students of the sociology of the arts and music, and to anyone interested in the intersection of social theory and aesthetics.

Das Buch geht systematisch der Frage nach, wie das Denken Jacques Derridas für die soziologische Theoriebildung und Gesellschaftskritik fruchtbar gemacht werden kann. Dabei versucht es ersichtlich zu machen, wie Identitäten und Normen auf ihr ausgeschlossenes Anderes hin geöffnet werden können. Es richtet sich an interessierte Leser*innen der Soziologie, indem einerseits Derridas philosophische Denkbewegungen zur Sprache gebracht und andererseits ein soziologischer Übersetzungsprozess vollführt wird. Auf welch vielfältige Weise lässt sich innerhalb der Soziologie und auch der politischen Theorie an die Dekonstruktion anschließen? Eine Hierarchiekritik und eine Offenlegung geschlechtlich markierter Machtverhältnisse werden dabei ebenso eine Rolle spielen, wie eine dekonstruktive Befragung sozialer Gründungsszenen und eine soziologische Perspektivierung von Erfindung, Gabe und Gastfreundschaft. Soziologisch denken mit Jacques Derrida umfasst nicht den Entwurf einer wasserdichten Theorie, sondern eine Sensibilisierung für die Instabilität und Spannungen der sozialen Welt.

Over recent decades, developing nations have been the beneficiaries of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from European and North American countries. ODA remains the central mechanism in sustaining and financing actions and processes related to international development. Despite these investments, experts continue to raise concerns about Africäs poor performance on several development indicators. This book discusses the main challenges to aid effectiveness in Africa, with a specific focus on the health sector. It provides policymakers, scholars, and development experts with innovative strategies and policy recommendations for refining aid management. The book also provides critical analysis of several global developmental frameworks and related international action plans and commitments, ranging from the 2030 Global Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals to the Paris Climate Agreement. Lastly, the book also analyzes several theoretical frameworks on development, including modernization, world systems, international dependency, neoclassical growth, the concept of gross national happiness, and human development. "Dr Sobtafo brings a wealth of experience and broad practice to bear in what is an important reflective analysis on aid effectiveness and the nexus with development performance. There are lessons and insights that reach beyond Africa."¿Michael Upton, New Zealand Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union "The book does first of all place people at the centre of the analysis, hence the pertinence of health and development as a focus. It further questions the common certainties on ODA and economic development and expands the discussion to include key drivers of human development and the necessity of partnership in an interdependent world. A pragmatic approach to deepen our understanding of complex issues that require more than simple solutions. Great ideas and questions for scholars, policy makers, and health and development practitioners."¿ Elhadj As Sy, Chairman, Koffi Annan Foundation; Former Secretary General, The International Federation of Red Cross Crescent Societies (IFRC); and Former UNICEF Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa

Danske almennyttige fonde er nye væsentlige aktører der præger vores samfund, i både store og små sammenhænge. Fondenes formuer og uddelinger er steget markant i de sidste fem til ti år og fondenes organisationer er blevet mere professionelle og transparente. Denne bog har til formål at beskrive de danske almennyttige fondes samfundsmæssige rolle, position og helt konkrete virkemidler i værdiskabelsen i det danske samfund. Dette er interessant, fordi der er sket store nye forandringer i fondenes ageren, og at danske fonde i dag tager et selvstændigt og ledende ansvar i udviklingen af det danske samfund. Bogen beskriver, hvordan de danske almennyttige fonde i dag påtager sig en væsentlig del af ansvaret for udviklingen af samfundet gennem virkemidler som en samfundskontrakt, strategi, governance, politisk indflydelse, synlighed og transparens. Danske fondes rolle og virkemidler perspektiveres gennem en komparativ analyse med amerikanske fonde, og til sidst beskriver bogen megatrends, kritiske dynamikker og scenarier for danske fondes fremtid. Bogen argumenterer for, at de almennyttige fondes værdiskabelse, rolle, position og virkemidler er unikke i forhold til det danske samfunds andre hovedaktører, nemlig det politiske system/den offentlig sektor, virksomhederne og civilsamfundet. Det er baggrunden for bogens grundlæggende budskab om, at de danske fonde har anlagt og følger ”Den fjerde vej til værdiskabelse i Danmark”. Bogen henvender sig til alle der interesserer sig for fonde og deres rolle, position og virkemidler. Det er for eksempel ansatte i fondene, samarbejdspartnere, uddelingsmodtagere, politikere, medier, fondsrådgivere, forskere og studerende.

This third edition of Social Theory Re-Wired is significantly revised and its unique web learning interactive programs that "allow us to go farther into theory and to build student skills than ever before," according to many teachers. Vital political and social updates are reflected both in the text and the online supplements.

Die Soziologie der Weltbeziehungen untersucht, wie Menschen sich in der Welt verorten und mit ihr in Verbindung treten. Auf welche Weise dieser Ansatz für unterschiedliche Disziplinen fruchtbar gemacht werden kann, zeigt dieser Band. Dabei widmen sich die Autor:innen einer Analyse grundlegender Konzepte der westlichen Moderne - etwa den Praktiken des Teilens und Tauschens. Darüber hinaus eröffnen sie eine historisch sowie global vergleichende Perspektive anhand vielfältiger Themen, etwa dem Verständnis von Markt und Eigentum in China oder der Dekolonisierung von Forschung in Indien. Hieran anschließend formulieren sie konkrete Vorschläge zu einer Neuausrichtung der Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaften.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

The public culture of the receiving society and the dominant understanding of belonging and political membership can influence the social participation of immigrants as much as immigration law. However, current discussions of integration focus primarily on the distribution of rights and neglect the role of tacit knowledge. Through a systematical and philosophical analysis of identity's role in policy-making, governance and social practice, Bodi Wang shows how a one-sided understanding of integration resembles »assimilation« and why integration should be expected from locals as well. Weaving together extensive findings in sociology, history, critical race theory and Chinese philosophy with ethics and migration studies, this book provides a compelling argument for adopting the concept of »mutual integration« to overcome injustice and to enhance social solidarity.

Dislocating the Frontier takes a critical approach to the frontier imagination in Australia. The authors of this book work with frontier theory in comparative and unsettling modes.

This edited collection focuses on the comparative analysis of the application of Shari¿a in countries with Muslim minorities (e.g. USA, Australia, Germany and Italy) and majorities (e.g. Malaysia, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Morocco). Most chapters in this new edition have been revised and the book as a whole has been updated to give even more international coverage. This text provides a sociological and global analysis of a phenomenon that goes beyond the ¿West versus the rest¿ dichotomy. One example of this is how included are case studies in Muslim minority countries not exclusively located in the West. Although the contributors of this book come from various disciplines such as law, anthropology, and sociology, this volume has a strong sociological focus on the analysis of Shari¿a. The final part of the book indeed draws out from all the case studies explored some ground-breaking theories on the sociology of Shari¿a such as the application of Black, Chambliss and Eisenstein¿s sociological theories. This text appeals to students and researchers working in the sociology of religion.

In phenomenological tradition, presence has been understood as fundamental for human experience: I experience the world as my lifeworld because I am present in this world. Even more, I experience myself as 'I' only in the physical presence of the other. However, this concept of presence has become fragile through processes of medialization - especially in (post-)pandemic everyday life. Presence can no longer be experienced exclusively in physical proximity, but also digitally or virtually. With global case studies alongside theoretical discussions by both students as well as junior and senior researchers, the volume launches a conversation between social sciences and humanities on how this change affects human experience.

"Hide your phone, stop hustling for a second, and read this passionate argument for the importance of unstructured pre-digital hang." —People Loneliness is an epidemic; it feels harder than ever to connect with others meaningfully. What can we do to remedy this? Sheila Liming has the answer: we need to hang out more.With the introduction of AI and constant Zoom meetings, our lives have become more fractured, digital and chaotic. Hanging Out: The Radical Power of Killing Time shows us what we have lost to the frenetic pace of digital life and how to get it back.Combining personal narrative with pungent analyses of books, movies, and TV shows, Sheila Liming shows us how the new social landscape deadens our connections with others — connections that are vital to both self-care and to a vibrant community. Whether drinking with strangers in a distant city or jamming with musician friends in an abandoned Pittsburgh row house, Liming demonstrates that unstructured social time is the key to a freer, happier sense of self. Hanging Out shows how simple acts of casual connection are the glue that binds us together, and how community is the antidote to the disconnection and isolation that dominates contemporary life. "The book conceives of hanging out as a way to reclaim time as something other than a raw ingredient to be converted into productivity." —New York Times“Rich with illuminating stories.” —Slate"We could all use more of that blissfully unstructured social time, posits Sheila Liming in the well-considered series of arguments found in Hanging Out." —Reader's Digest"Opens with a simple and expansive account of what hanging out is … Liming dedicates much of the book to stories from her past. She has lived an interesting life, and she tells these stories well.” —Washington Post"Sharp and vivid writing … a layered exploration of social dynamics that contains some textured literary criticism.” —Bookforum"More books about hanging out, less about productivity please. Sheila Liming sees the gap in our thinking about time, and the true worth in spending it in an unstructured fashion with members of our community.” —LitHub

'Phenomenal ... Offers us possibilities for rescuing the concept of democracy from its fatal entanglement with racial, heteropatriarchal capitalism'-Angela Y. Davis'Embraces the unruliness of collective struggle, and recognizes freedom not as a destination but practice-an abolitionist, feminist, anticapitalist, antiracist, radically inclusive practice'-Robin D.G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams'A compelling and inspiring book that belongs in our movements and our classrooms'-Chandra Talpade Mohanty, author of Feminism Without Borders'An elegantly written masterpiece'-Barbara Ransby, author of Making All Black Lives Matter Become Ungovernable is a provocative new work of political thought setting out to reclaim "freedom", "justice", and "democracy", revolutionary ideas that are all too often warped in the interests of capital and the state. Revealing the mirage of mainstream democratic thought and the false promises of liberal political ideologies, H.L.T. Quan offers an alternative approach: an abolition feminism drawing on a kaleidoscope of refusal praxes, and on a deep engagement with the Black Radical Tradition and queer analytics.With each chapter anchored by episodes from the long history of resistance and rebellions against tyranny, Quan calls for us to take up a feminist ethic of living rooted in the principles of radical inclusion, mutuality and friendship as part of the larger toolkit for confronting fascism, white supremacy, and the neoliberal labor regime.H.L.T. Quan is a political theorist, award-winning filmmaker and Associate Professor of Justice and Social Inquiry in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. Quan is the author of Growth Against Democracy and editor of Cedric J. Robinson.

'A carefully argued case for basic income as central to a democratic transformation of society' Carole Pateman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, UCLA'This path-breaking work throws new light on how we understand work, freedom, and emancipation in today's highly precariatised and insecure world ... A must-read' Sarath Davala, Chair, Basic Income Earth Network'An ethical defence of basic income constructed on the value of republican freedom, an important proposal in an era of rentier capitalism that allows plutocrats to pocket more and more wealth' Guy Standing, author of The Corruption of Capitalism and The Precariat'Casassas traces the case for basic income to its traditional left-wing origins of combatting structural domination and unequal social power' Jurgen De Wispelaere, Visiting Professor, University of FreiburgAs the rich get richer and take more of our wealth, our democratic freedoms are also in danger. The elite are gaining large profits without contributing back to society, hollowing out our public services and institutions and preventing the vast majority of us from living our lives to the fullest.In Unconditional Freedom, David Casassas argues that for us to live freely, we need unconditional resources such as Universal Basic Income. In a sharp and lucid analysis, he shows that UBI would not only liberate us from the nightmare of social exclusion and precarious employment, it would also increase our bargaining power as individuals and collectives, opening doors to democratise our lives. David Casassas is Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona. He was the Secretary of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) and he is now a member of its International Advisory Board. He is the author of The City in Flames.Julie Wark is a translator, author and human rights activist.

This book is an important contribution to narrative research and highlights how narratives can produce social change. The author demonstrates this through an analysis of concepts like future, uncertainty and risk, both in terms of individual impact and as collective forms of social life. The book reconstructs the relationships between future, uncertainty and risk through everyday how narratives exert power over individual and social life by influencing individual or collective decisions and choices. Narratives also change future prospects, thus producing social change. Some of the examples the author draws out for discussion are - in specific - the narration of the migration flows in the Mediterranean Sea, and the narration of the pandemic emergency from COVID-19. The result of different narratives has been the emergence of new ideologies and of a complex series of dynamics in which the local ends up becoming global and vice versa. Highly topical and interdisciplinary in its approach, this book is of interest to researchers and students of the sociology of culture and communication, media and communication studies, social and cultural psychology and cultural anthropology. 

Dieser Band vereinigt grundlegende Texte von Talcott Parsons zur Theorie sozialer Systeme. Sie bilden den Ausgangspunkt der systemtheoretisch orientierten Soziologie und sind nach wie vor ¿eine bleibende Herausforderung für alle weitere Arbeit an soziologischer Theorie¿ (Niklas Luhmann).

This book systematically addresses Bourdieu's key ideas and concepts in the context of Marxist thought. In this book, Bourdieu's central theoretical points are analyzed within a political, sociological and politico-economic framework which allows for the development of a sequential narrative of his key ideas. Thus, the authors are able to highlight the theoretical consistencies and political conclusions which can be derived from Bourdieu's work. For example, Bourdieu's anti-neoliberal narrative is correlated with his analysis of class, and especially with his canonization of the petty bourgeoisie and its strategy for a reformed anti-neoliberal capitalism. The book also analyzes this coherent synthesis of Bourdieu's work in the context of Marxist political economy, including not only Marx but also Lenin, Althusser and Poulantzas. In this context, the book explores Bourdieu's work on the state, class strategy, socialism and capitalism. This unique perspective will be of great interest to social scientists, particularly in economics, politics and sociology, working on Bourdieu, Marx and capitalism.

This book provides an original and compelling analysis of registration as a dynamic process which makes and unmakes legal identities.