Public Sociology, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and Chevrolet

Public sociology is neither public nor sociology. Public sociology does not and cannot have an epistemology. Speaking only for and to itself, public sociology has no public. There is no debate with public sociology. Instead, public sociology has been successfully advertised and widely embraced among sociologists. Public sociology has consumers. Public sociology is the fast-food of social science. The influence of public sociology is visible and real as it has been institutionalized in various ways. I analyze the conditions of the institutionalization of public sociology and critically evaluate its dynamics and consequences

Gaga: Notes on the Management of Public Identity

Lady Gaga distinctively exemplifies the contemporary celebrity in popular culture because of the extent of her fame as well as because of the peculiar persona she presents to her audience of both fans and onlookers. In this paper, I discuss how the persona of the person born as Stefani Germanotta was created and subsequently maintained in a variety of ways related to her naming as Lady Gaga. Invoking the work of Erving Goffman, my discussion extends beyond an analysis of the effectiveness and fame of Lady Gaga’s presentation of self to the ensuing essence of her persona itself, that is, of Lady Gaga as Gaga rather than gaga. Not merely a brand, Lady Gaga is in more ways than only economic also what Lady Gaga has become to herself and to others. As the performer slips in and out of the many public personae she has created in her name, I argue, she has become Gaga to the public at large and, with only minimal qualification, among her once personal friends as well as in the privacy of her socially constituted self. The truth that has to be acknowledged today is that Lady Gaga has indeed become Lady Gaga

Jurisprudencia sociológica y sociología del derecho

La sociología del derecho en los Estados Unidos está intelectualmente enraizada en los trabajos fundacionales de Max Weber y Emile Durkheim. Sin embargo, institucionalmente los estudios sociológicos del derecho han crecido a partir de los desarrollos que se han dado en la academia jurídica, los cuales son parte de la educación ofrecida por las escuelas profesionales de derecho, particularmente de la perspectiva de la jurisprudencia sociológica. El cambio decisivo hacia el desarrollo de una aproximación sociológica al derecho distinta, arraigada en los clásicos sociológicos, fue ofrecido por Talcott Parsons, cuyo papel crucial como fundador de la sociología del derecho no ha sido suficientemente reconocido

The Sociological Discourse on Human Rights : Lessons from the Sociology of Law

Since when, how, and why have sociologists discussed human rights in their work? In which forms of theoretical and empirical inquiry have such investigations been conducted, and what are some of their consequences for the praxis of sociology as well as for our understanding of human rights? We focus on the manner in which sociologists have conceptualized human rights and approached the topic from a number of analytical perspectives. In general, human rights have only recently begun to move sociologists in any noteworthy degree. This paper traces the difficult birth of a sociology of human rights relative to the place of the notion of rights in the sociology of law. This paper also ponders on the enthusiastic turn towards human rights in more recent times and criticizes some the reasons for this generous embrace of human rights. This critique is intended to enable rather than impede a truly sociological sociology of (human) rights

"Public opinion and the future of Europe: Trends and theses"

We analyze trends and sources of support for European unification on the basis of Eurobarometer data gathered from individuals in member states of the European Union over the past two decades. Results indicate that unification of Europe generally receives overwhelming support. However, further analysis reveals important country differences in levels of support. Citizens of most countries of Europe favor unification: support for the EU has over the years been relatively high in most countries and only in a minority of countries (Great Britain, Denmark, and Norway) do citizens reveal substantial anti-European sentiments. Beyond the country differences, in addition, there are socio-demographic and political influences on popular support, but these do not account for country differences. In other words, it is the identification of citizens with estimated advantages or disadvantages of united Europe for their own country which determines their respective sentiments on the EU

LAW IN HABERMAS’S THEORY OF COMMUNICATIVE ACTION

Este artículo perfila y revisa la teoría jurídica de JÜRGEN HABERMAS en el contexto de su teoría social general, conocida como la teoría de la acción comunicativa. En primer lugar, se explicarán los conceptos centrales de sistema en el mundo de la vida alrededor del cual HABERMAS ha desarrollado su teoría de sociedad moderna. Posteriormente, se prestará atención al papel dual de lo jurídico en la teoría de HABERMAS, como una institución y como un medio, después de que se repasen los últimos desarrollos de la teoría del derecho del autor alemán. Finalmente, el artículo discutirá la influencia y las críticas de la perspectiva jurídica de HABERMAS en la literatura secundaria.This paper outlines and reviews the legal theory of JÜRGEN HABERMAS in the context of HABERMAS s general social theory, known as the theory of communicative action. First explained are the central concepts of system in lifeworld around which HABERMAS has developed his theory of modern society. Subsequently attention is paid to the dual role of law as an institution and a medium in HABERMAS s theory, after which the latest developments of HABERMAS s legal theory are reviewed. Finally, the paper discussed the influence and criticisms of HABERMAS' s perspective on law in the secondary literature

LAW IN HABERMAS’S THEORY OF COMMUNICATIVE ACTION

Este artículo perfila y revisa la teoría jurídica de JÜRGEN HABERMAS en el contexto de su teoría social general, conocida como la teoría de la acción comunicativa. En primer lugar, se explicarán los conceptos centrales de sistema en el mundo de la vida alrededor del cual HABERMAS ha desarrollado su teoría de sociedad moderna. Posteriormente, se prestará atención al papel dual de lo jurídico en la teoría de HABERMAS, como una institución y como un medio, después de que se repasen los últimos desarrollos de la teoría del derecho del autor alemán. Finalmente, el artículo discutirá la influencia y las críticas de la perspectiva jurídica de HABERMAS en la literatura secundaria.This paper outlines and reviews the legal theory of JÜRGEN HABERMAS in the context of HABERMAS s general social theory, known as the theory of communicative action. First explained are the central concepts of system in lifeworld around which HABERMAS has developed his theory of modern society. Subsequently attention is paid to the dual role of law as an institution and a medium in HABERMAS s theory, after which the latest developments of HABERMAS s legal theory are reviewed. Finally, the paper discussed the influence and criticisms of HABERMAS' s perspective on law in the secondary literature