A sociology for the 21st century? An enquiry into public sociology reading Zygmunt Bauman

Michael Burawoy's public sociology presents a vision of engaged and political sociology that stands for critical debate and social justice. The article will consider public sociology in light of Zygmunt Bauman's social thought, one of the most acclaimed sociologists whose writings transcend academic readership. It will identify the similarities and diff erences concerning their understanding of contemporary society and sociology's tasks, as well as its shortcomings, which will sediment public sociology's cause. The article will discuss Burawoy's conception of public sociology through Bauman's views on the tasks of sociology, which will be seen as illuminating for both political and ethical reasons. The aim of the paper is to interpret public sociology from the point of view of Bauman's writings on liquid modernity, and thereby increase its awareness of the ways in which contemporary societies call for sociological engagement. It will be argued that ethics and dialogue are equally important to politics for public sociology

A Sociology for the 21st Century? An Enquiry into Public Sociology Reading Zygmunt Bauman

Michael Burawoy´s ´public sociology´ presents a vision of engaged and political sociology as one of its legitimate branches. The article will consider public sociology in light of Zygmunt Bauman's social thought; one of the most acclaimed sociologists whose writings transcend academic readership. It will identify similarities and differences concerning their understanding of contemporary society and sociology's tasks, and its shortcomings, which will sediment public sociology´s cause. The article will discuss the identity of a public sociologist through Bauman's concept of a postmodern ´interpreter´, which will be seen as illuminating for both political and sociological reasons. The main aim of the essay is to interpret public sociology from the point of view of Bauman's writings on post/liquid modernity social formation, and thereby increase its awareness of the ways in which contemporary societies call for sociological engagement. It will be argued that greater concern with ethics will make public sociology more coherent

Europe at the Crossroad: Decline or Reconstruction?

Uncertainty and unease surround both Europe’s current predicament and future prospects. Be it national governments devoid of European solidarity, the self-contained Brussels bureaucracy or fear of another economic recession, the status quo in Europe contains much to be concerned about. In particular, the rise of the far right casts a shadow over contemporary Europe from Poland and Hungary to France and Italy. The leitmotif of this article is social Europe, i.e. Europe with commitment to “good society”, conducive to human well-being. I seek to envision a reconstruction to the current maladies. Before taking up the main task of the article, I write about the two key developments that have lead to the decline of social Europe. I begin with the Maastricht Treaty which had a profound impact on the rules of economic governance in Europe, as well as contained a vision of competitive and individualistic social life. Thereafter, I probe into the divisive consequences that austerity has had in Europe in the 2010s. Lastly, I focus on a path forward and inquire into social thought that aims at a reconstruction of European politics and economy in order to arrive at a social Europe. I shall do this by engaging with the recent ‘Manifesto for the democratization of Europe’ (Boujou et al., 2019), an initiative led by prominent French intellectuals that seeks to save Europe from its current troubled state