Public lecture, 1 February 2024, 6.15 pm, The Smart House Oldenburg
Life in crisis mode - Why it is so difficult to agree on solutions and communicate risks efficiently
"Crisis mode" was chosen as the word of the year 2023 and that is no coincidence. In a time that requires dealing with all kinds of challenges from Covid-19 to the Ukraine war and the ongoing consequences of climate change, it seems equally important and difficult to agree on sensible solutions. And even once this is the case, there is often great resistance or even indifference to the recommended measures.
Why is it so difficult to deal sensibly with the new social challenges and agree on solutions? How do strategies for action need to be communicated so that they are convincing? Why can't we simply follow expert knowledge and recommendations? These are questions that the lecture will address by drawing on social science risk research and pointing out possible answers.
Registration for the lecture is not necessary.
Workshop for doctoral candidates and postdocs of all subjects (English/German), 2 February, 9 am - 12 noon, The Smart House Oldenburg
"Living in the risk society - An introduction to the sociology of risk and uncertainty"
Sociological risk research is more important than ever in times of ongoing and worsening crises. How can we understand how to deal with risks, uncertainties and social inequalities in a world in which the state of emergency has become the normal state? (Ulrich Beck) What theories do sociological theories offer? What are their strengths and weaknesses? The workshop will provide an initial introduction to the central theories on risk and uncertainty, such as Mary Douglas' work on risk and culture, Ulrich Beck's risk society and the governmentality approach.
The workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss your own academic work and research projects and the extent to which risk-sociological perspectives could be helpful in this regard.
"Living in a Risk Society - An Introduction to the Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty"
Sociological risk research is more important than ever at times of ongoing and worsening crises. How can we understand the social management of risks, uncertainties and social inequalities in a world in which the state of emergency has become the new normal? (Ulrich Beck) What theoretical offerings do sociological theories make? What are their strengths and weaknesses? The workshop provides an initial introduction to the key theories on risk and uncertainty such as Mary Douglas's work on risk and culture, Ulrich Beck's risk society and Foucault's governmentality perspective.
The workshop provides the opportunity to discuss your own scientific work and research projects and to what extent risk sociological perspectives could be helpful.
Registration for the workshop
Internal: Please register as usual via Stud.IP
External: by email to
all: please send a brief abstract!
Speaker:
Prof. Jens O. Zinn from the University of Melbourne is a German-Australian sociologists who is working for many years in Risk Studies. His research interests cover social and institutional change, biographical and everyday management of risk and uncertainty and discourse-semantic changes in the understanding and management of risk.
He has founded two international networks on the Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty within the European Sociological Association (2005) and the International Sociological Association (2006). In 2015 the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation awarded him the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Prize.
