Distinktion: Scandinavian Journal of Social Theory invites papers for a special issue on successive modernities to be published in October 2010.
Sociology arose around 1900 as a response to the general need to understand the ongoing transition from 'traditional' to 'modern' society and the many social problems (anomie, alienation, disenchantment, inequality, exclusion, etc) which had their base in this groundbreaking transformation. While the distinction between 'tradition' and 'modernity' was fundamental for early sociology as a discipline, a number of contemporary social scientists question the adequacy of such a distinction. One problem is that the distinction implies that the last major transformation of Western societies occurred some hundred years ago and that subsequent social change has only been a question of gradual modifications. Such an assumption - which has been very influential not only in the social sciences, but also in politics and everyday life during the 20th century - is known in sociology under the heading of 'modernization theory'.
Contrary to this assumption, contemporary scholars suggest that transformations of social institutions and of cognitive and normative convictions within modernity are so fundamental that the history of modern societies itself must be divided into different epochs. Today, distinctions such as between 'early' and 'late' (or 'high') modernity (Giddens), modern and 'postmodern' society (Lyotard), 'first' and 'second modernity' (Beck), 'solid' and 'liquid' modernity (Bauman) have become widespread. Recently, moreover, it has been argued that the history of modernity should been divided into three rather than two epochs (Wagner, Boltanski & Chiapello). Inspired by such work, it is often claimed today that the social sciences should leave modernization theory behind. Modernity is not a singular entity, but varies structurally in both space and time. Existing studies of how modernity differs in space have even given rise to a new paradigm in the social sciences, namely, the framework of 'multiple modernities' (Eisenstadt). The equally important question of how modernity differs in time has not yet received a similarly interest, although some initial attempts can be identified. Thus, Johann Arnason has proposed 'successive modernities' as a notion which can account for the temporal dimensions. In addition, Peter Wagner has portrayed three epochs of modernity with two intervening periods of crisis.
In this call for papers we invite contributions which address and explore (the conception of) historical and structural transformations of modernity. What does modernity mean? What kinds of theoretical tools do we need to understand change in modern societies? What does the history of modernity look like in different parts of the world and along various aspects of the social (political, epistemic and economic, in relation to conceptions of the self, etc.)? What are the gains of talking about different epochs of modernity? Are there one or many modernities in time? The papers can approach the subject either in the light of these themes and problems or by opening up new perspectives. They can do so either from a purely theoretical point of view or by working through empirical cases and materials, yet bearing in mind that empirically oriented work should contain distinct reflections on the implications for social theory.
Submission guidelines
Papers must be in English. See www.distinktion.dk, Instructions for Authors, for details about the Journal's house style. This special issue will be published in October 2010. The deadline for submitting papers is January 15 2010. Send an electronic copy to distinktion@ps.au.dk. Further information at www.distinktion.dk.
All submitted papers will be evaluated by the Editors, and publication decisions will be based on the double-blind peer-review process (the Editors will necessarily know the identities of all participants). The Editors are happy to receive inquiries about the issue via email.
Editors of this special issue
Mikael Carleheden, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, email: MC@soc.ku.dk and
Antje Gimmler, Aalborg University, Denmark, email: gimmler@socsci.aau.dk
Distinktion: Scandinavian Journal of Social Theory publishes innovative papers, which make a substantial contribution to social theory. The Journal invites articles from sociology, political theory, cultural and legal studies, anthropology, and philosophy that provide original perspectives on the social. Based in a Scandinavian context, characterized by prioritizing no single theoretical horizon, the Journal creates a space for theoretical contestation that includes both continental and Anglo-American traditions.
Distinktion has published original papers by a number of prominent international scholars, including Nikolas Rose, Engin F. Isin, Rob Shields, Mitchell Dean, Slavoj Zizek, Karin Knorr Cetina, Harrison C. White, Richard Swedberg, Jürgen Habermas, David M. Rasmussen, Jens Bartelson, and Eric Alliez. Special issues have appeared on Niklas Luhmann, Carl Schmitt, health, the city, war, Empire, economic sociology, political globalization, Gabriel Tarde, political theology, concepts of politics, and bioeconomy.