Institute of Sociology
of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology
of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Gavrilov K.A. From risk society to the metamorphosis of the world: In memoriam Ulrich Beck



Gavrilov K.A. From risk society to the metamorphosis of the world: In memoriam Ulrich Beck // Sociological yearbook, 2015–2016 / RAS. INION, HSE; Ed. by N. Pokrovsky, D. Efremenko. – Moscow: 2016. P. 317-330.
ISBN 978-5-248-00734-9
РИНЦ: https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=28784214

Posted on site: 19.06.17

 


Abstract

The article describes the contribution of Ulrich Beck (1944–2015) to the sociology of risk. His work «Risk society» had a significant impact on the development of the sociology of risk. For example, the ideas related to the social distribution and placement of risk, specificity of responsibility in the modern era, as well as the changing role of science demonstrate the provocativeness of Beck’s thesis and its significance for the ensuing discussion on these subjects. We also analyze the reflexivity of Beck’s works, his ability to respond to the pressing problems of our time using his own theoretical framework, and his attention to criticism and willingness to transform his arguments. We describe an aspect of the transformation of Beck’s theory that is related to the move from taking into account the adverse effects of risks as a consequence of modernization to the attempts to find positive effects of risks in his works on cosmopolitanism and the metamorphosis of the world. The article describes the contribution of Ulrich Beck (1944–2015) to the sociology of risk. His work «Risk society» had a significant impact on the development of the sociology of risk. For example, the ideas related to the social distribution and placement of risk, specificity of responsibility in the modern era, as well as the changing role of science demonstrate the provocativeness of Beck’s thesis and its significance for the ensuing discussion on these subjects. We also analyze the reflexivity of Beck’s works, his ability to respond to the pressing problems of our time using his own theoretical framework, and his attention to criticism and willingness to transform his arguments. We describe an aspect of the transformation of Beck’s theory that is related to the move from taking into account the adverse effects of risks as a consequence of modernization to the attempts to find positive effects of risks in his works on cosmopolitanism and the metamorphosis of the world.

Content (in russ)


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