Critical modernity studies: interdisciplinary approaches to social pathologies
- Submission status
- Open
- Submission deadline
Modernity seems to produce its own specific pathologies. These pathologies are present as global catastrophes, such as global wars, climate crises, and genocides, or as more “common” and almost accepted pathologies, such as social exclusion, alienation, social suffering, exploitation, racism, sexism, antisemitism and so on. Critical approaches understand these pathologies as deeply interwoven with modernity, with a specific mode of social reproduction and even—as pathologies of reason—with Enlightenment itself.
Critical theories point towards the unstable and precarious character of contemporary societies. Modern societies, as well as biographical experiences within them, are described in terms of, for instance, uncertainty, insecurity, crisis, and ruptures. Almost no sphere of the social can escape the fluidification of certainties and boundaries as well as the disquieting acceleration of the rhythms of life. The experience of fundamental crisis shapes the perception of the world of modern individuals.
Furthermore, the catastrophes of the twentieth century, as well as the capacity of the destruction of mankind, require a critical analysis of our current models of reason. Serious reflection about modernity entails the analysis of the production of self-knowledge of modern societies. This production of social knowledge does not only take place in the academic field, but also in aesthetic production and in a huge variety of everyday discourses and practices.
The aim of this Collection is to understand macro processes of production of social pathologies and pathologies of reason as well as to understand the effects of these pathologies on individuals, societies and cultures. It sets out to analyse the social ontogenesis of knowledge and the social, material and intellectual conditions of this knowledge production. The Collection aims at a broad, interdisciplinary understanding from all fields of social sciences and humanities of these pathologies from all fields of social sciences and humanities.It welcomes empirical studies on diverse social pathologies as well as theoretical works on modernity.
Contributions are invited on, but not restricted to, the following themes:
- The influence of the different varieties of capitalism on the diverse spheres of social life, such as labour, private sphere, culture;
- Research on social suffering as well as on processes of invisibilization and marginalization of suffering;
- Critical studies on the interrelation of subjectivation, power and knowledge;
- Diverse forms of discrimination (racism, sexism, antisemitism, classism, etc) and their intersection;
- Cultural, social and political research on mass violence, genocide and other global catastrophes;
- Analyses of discourses, populism and particular knowledge as well as research on alternative or marginalized knowledge.
Editors
-
Benno Herzog, Prof., PhD
University of Valencia, Spain
