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TG04
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Sociology
of Risk and Uncertainty |
Call for papers |
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First ISA Forum
on Sociology The human request and need to control an uncertain future for decision making and to prepare for possible harms as well as the desire to explore the unknown and extending knowledge and abilities are as old as the human existence (Bernstein). They brought forward a huge range of institutional and individual strategies among which instrumental rationality and statistical probabilistic calculation is central for modern societies (Weber, Ewald). It is controversial to what extent we currently face a crisis of instrumental rationality and statistic-probabilistic techniques (Beck) or whether we rather experience a change in cultural priorities or moral values (Douglas). Increasing risk communication might mainly result from a change in governmental power and regulation (O'Malley; Rose) or a lack of an overall integrative rationality (Luhmann). The streams of the Thematic Group (TG04) on The Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty invites papers which focus on the variety of institutional and individual strategies to manage risk and uncertainty and in particular papers which focus on questions of social change. Session-streams Please send abstracts by 6 January 2008 to j.zinn@kent.ac.uk. The central streams and sessions will begin with an introductory keynote or an introductory session with invited papers followed by further paper presentations. Papers on additional topics and suggestions for session streams are welcome: The overall topic of the
conference Sociology and Public Debate is addressed in a session on
the "Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty and Public Debate".
A special focus of this conference
is on "Rationalities of Governance and Regulation".
An introductory session will give an overview on this area of research.
Since governance and regulation is an interdisciplinary topic contributions
from different disciplines are welcome such as sociology, political
science, social legal studies etc. In this context a stream
on "Risks in Financial Markets" will focus on the organisational
and individual strategies and forms to control the risks and uncertainties
of financial markets. This involves the institutional strategies to
control organisational activities as well as financial managers' behaviour
and can be seen in contrast to individuals' action patterns and interests
which might resist to or dodge social regulation. The link between institutional
framing and individual strategies is central for the two streams on
"Risk and Health and Illness". One will focus on institutional
control strategies while the second stream addresses patient's coping
strategies. Of particular importance are papers which can systematically
link both. These topics are especially relevant where controversies
on the reformation of the health sector as in Britain or Germany are
ongoing and better knowledge is urgently required. In several domains (health
and illness, psychiatry, social care, social work, crime prevention)
calculative probabilistic strategies compete with non-formalised professional
expertise. The sessions on "Social Work and Risk" and
"Risk and Crime and Prevention" invites papers which
focus on the competing rationalities and their impact on professional
practice. Chair for Risk and Crime
and Prevention: Hazel Kemshall (kemshall@dmu.ac.uk) De Montfort University,
UK The social controversies
on risk and uncertainty refer to a range of dimensions. Of increasing
importance are morals and ethics which will be addressed by a session
on "The Morality of Risk - Risk Moralities". Deeply involved in societal
management of risk and uncertainty are questions of legitimacy, participation,
democracy and power. This is addressed by a stream on "Power,
Democracy and Risk". The media are central for
the communication of risks and uncertainties in the public. Media does
not just mediate between social actors. Media actively influence public
controversies by its own production logic of media coverage. This stream
invites papers which discuss "Risk as Media Event". International and trans-national
research repeatedly shows how socio-cultural differences influence the
perception and responses to risks and the strategies how risks and uncertainties
are managed. A stream on "Socio-Cultural Differences"
in institutional management and individual coping with risk will discuss
how culture matters and which cultural differences are observable. In his book on the risk society
(1992) Beck opposed the allocation of risks to traditional class inequalities.
In risk societies risks which are attached to social class do overlapp
with new risks. How differences are entangled with manifest inequaulities
is addressed by the session "Risk, Difference and Social Inequality". A couple of sessions focus
on individual's strategies to cope with risk and uncertainties. The
stream on "The Everyday Management of Risk" focuses
on the tension between the different rationalities of everyday life
coping with risk from instrumental strategies to manage risk to intuitive
and emotional strategies. A special stream "Biographical
Coping with Risk and Uncertainty" invites papers which bring
together the biographical dimension with institutional and individual
ways to manage risk and uncertainty. This is a shared session with RC38
Biography and Society. A further stream on "Edgework
and Voluntary Risk Taking" invites papers on the voluntarily
high risk taking. Empirical as well as more theoretically driven presentations
are welcome. This stream will be introduced by a session where the edgework
approach and critical contributions are discussed. In the session "Theorizing
Risk and Uncertainty" central theoretical issues will be discussed. The session stream "Risk
in Decision Making" is interdisciplinary and aims to psychologists,
economists and sociologists which are interested in the various factors
which influence individuals' decision making. The conference streams will
finish with a round table on "Risk and Uncertainty - State of
the Art and Perspectives" This will discuss insights from the
conference and perspectives for further research. Please submit your abstract
(max. 500 words) by 6th January 2008 to Jens Zinn (j.zinn@kent.ac.uk)
and indicate the session/stream you would like to present your paper.
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