Das Anerkennungsdefizitsyndrom des Wohlfahrtsstaats

The contribution questions the conception of the welfare state as an institutional arrangement for social inclusion and integration underlying Günter Duxes book “Why justice at all” (“Warum denn Gerechtigkeit”). This concept is countered with a sociological analysis stressing the asymmetric structures of recognition that characterize the welfare state (particularly its German variant) and reconstructing the changing patterns of social inequality produced by recent “activation” policies. As a normative guideline for future reforms, the paper argues for a universalistic recognition regime that transcends the restrictions of the national-industrial model of welfare.     

Die Krisis des Wissens

From a sociological theoretical perspective the crisis of knowledge appears to be characteristic of a knowledge society in which the importance of knowledge has increased but the importance of the traditional university system has decreased. In contrast to Husserl, I do not start with the “last” questions, but with the first question: namely, how is knowledge possible? To answer this, I define learning as a communicative practice that produces knowledge. This emphasizes the distinction between knowledge and intelligence. “Intelligence” denotes problem-solving mechanisms which can be embedded in various ways: organically in genomes; technologically in instruments; and socially in the rule systems of institutions (II–III). On this basis, the form of knowledge for the knowledge society contrasts knowledge/non-knowledge and is set against competing forms which contrast knowledge/belief or knowledge/power. The knowledge society thus stands in great need of knowledge about how to deal with ignorance or non-knowledge, particularly in order to cope with systemic risks. The use of risk models by banks serves as one example of how organizations in the knowledge society turn their dependence on knowledge and ignorance into strategies for coping with uncertainty (IV–V). Ignorance is always the corollary of knowledge. Thus, in conclusion irony and power are introduced as exemplary ways of dealing with this form of knowledge (VI–VII).     

Eine liberale Verteidigung des Kommunitarismus

In this contribution, the attempt is undertaken to place Weber’s value theory (Werttheorie) within the controversy between liberals and communitarians. Following Wolfgang Schluchter’s studies to Weber’s value theory, the concept of responsibility is worked out as a communitarian subject in Weber’s thinking. Individual responsibility, so my thesis, functions with Weber as an intersection, in which the freedom of the autonomous personality is connected with its cultural community. Against the background of this thesis, Max Weber’s ethics of responsibility is specified as a ?liberal defense of communitarianism“. It is a liberal defense because it is based on the primacy of the absolutely free personality and its inalienable rights. It is a communitarian concept because it is based on the idea of an situated self connected with cultural values, traditions, and institutions. The specific view on Max Weber’s value theory enables not only a dissociation of voluntaristic and legalistic interpretations, but rather also an updating of the ethics of responsibility as an alternative in the discussion between liberals and communitarians.     

Unter der Fahne des Kalifats

Ever since the proclamation of a caliphate by the so-called “Islamic State” in June 2014, the strategic communication of the terrorist organization has become the subject of public and scientific interest. A focal point of discussion lies at the skillful use of social networks by the “Islamic State”. So far, research has focused primarily on quantitative aspects of agenda setting and has neglected the visual character of terror communication and the specific functions of visuals. The article deals with a selection of video messages of the “Islamic State” that address life in the IS-capital of al-Raqqah. Based on a visual frame analysis the article discusses central topics and visual frames and questions their importance for further research on strategic terrorist communication.     

Das Geheimnis des Alltäglichen

Since the 80ies Michel de Certeau’s analyses of everyday life had influenced the development of Cultural Studies. For example the practices of consumption and reception were described as resistant tactics in the work of John Fiske. But many aspects of de Certeau’s complex theory were not considered. Against this background his works is surveyed in the context of theories of everyday life. The study shows that the potential of de Certeau’s critical cultural analysis has yet to be disclosed and realized. So he has developed a subtle theory of everyday practices, delineated a science of the singular and explored the relationships between the unconscious and everyday life/between utopia and everyday life.     

Praktiken der Grenzüberschreitung und die Grenzen des Feldparadigmas

So far, the phenomenon of the so-called avant-garde has rarely been the subject of sociological scrutiny. In order to approach the historical avant-garde in sociological terms, Pierre Bourdieu??s field concept is applied. This sheds new light on the avant-garde, which traditionally has been subject to related disciplines. However, Bourdieu??s field theory fails to capture the empirical phenomenon of the historical avant-garde sufficiently. This suggests that sociology ought to regard the principle of the avant-garde as a distinct concept.     

Gründe und Formen der freiwilligen Nichtnutzung des Internets

This article examines the voluntary and conscious non-usage of the internet by youth and young adults. The study is based on the conceptual framework of de-mediatization. 30 qualitative interviews and a qualitative content analysis have been conducted to identify deficits and disadvantages in the context of everyday internet usage. Eight distinct sets of problems have been found. Furthermore, strategies users develop to handle those problems were investigated. They can be distinguished into strategies of adjusted continued usage and strategies of voluntary partial non-usage. Those complexes of problems that lead to strategies of voluntary self-restraint are the basis for five potential types of boundaries of online communication.     

Gesellschaftliche Verfasstheit im Feld des Sehens — Deutungsabsichten und verborgene AutorInnenschaft

In a way, museums and exhibitions can be taken as symptoms of knowledge and image construction. Exhibitions as places of (visual) representations reflect current cultural narrations and images of society — the conscious and the hidden or unconscious ones. In general, these narratives which are mediated on a visual level are neither reflected nor identified as social constructions. In this context, I tried to analyze displays of four exhibitions focusing on the categories gender and “the other”, on the way these categories are addressed or left out and by which visual means. The central idea of this investigation of the production of meanings within complex exhibiting procedures is to turn the means of staging themselves into an object of analysis, that is, to find out which methods of production consciously or unconsciously transmit which contents. The aim of this paper is to reveal (hidden) discourses that are produced and mediated through visual methods, to heighten the awareness of processes in visual culture by which cultural and social codes are accredited and approved of and to claim responsibility for these representations.     

Merkmale und Fragen einer Governance-Reform am Beispiel des österreichischen Schulwesens

Since the 1990s German speaking countries go through an increasing debate on modernising education systems. Based on an analysis of developments in Austria, but as a hypothesis for other German speaking school systems, the paper aims to identify some cornerstones of this discourse. It argues that a central element is the question how further developments of an education system may be productively steered and that the transformations in the idea of system steering may be conceptualized by an analytic concept of ‘governance’.     

Das Ende der Beliebigkeit — zum evolutionär-biologischen Fundament des Menschen

The relationship between biology and sociology has always been difficult, even though (or even because) both are interested in the same human subject. Historic mishaps, such as the severe abuse of biology by political systems, ideological inferences and simple misunderstandings still strain the dialogue. In contrast to sociologists, biologists employ a comparative approach within a firm Darwinian framework for posing questions. A hypothesis only qualifies as “scientific” when rigorously testable. Along with the overwhelming success of biology in the 20^th century, the biological base of the human existence is now generally acknowledged. But the explanatory potential of the Darwinian approach is still expanding.c Over the past decades, biologist even ventured into the “cultural” domains, which lead to new battles with sociologists, but also to some cross-fertilization. It showed, that even morals and ethics have a biological and hence, an evolutionary base. Without the prefrontal cortex of the brain, humans are not able to act socially responsible. This example also shows that the long-outdated distinction between “innate” and “learned” (still a major obstacle for dialogue between biology and sociology) is indeed, obsolete, because the morphological substrate only develops towards its full functionality, when adequately stimulated via implicit social learning during early childhood. Further examples for the heuristic power of modern behavioural biology are insights into social organization and sexual strategies, evolutionary explanations of socio-sexual violence against women and children, new results towards showing the biological foundations of personality, or even the contribution of modern biology towards explaining mentalities. With the increasing dominance of biology, arbitrariness comes to an end. Today, the basidemand on all theories and concepts which claim to explain aspects of Homo sapiens scientifically, no matter whether from the humanities, social sciences or even philosophy, is their consistency and logic coherence, with evolutionary theory.     

Die Krise als Chance? Eine habitustheoretische Dekonstruktion des Bew?ltigungsbegriffs

This article focuses on a critical reflection of the concept of coping as well as its deconstruction based on the habitus approach. The transformation of the notion of subject in the context of socialisation theory with regard to risk and individualisation will be reflected. Such approaches conceptualise identities as flexible resources. In contrast, Bourdieu??s concept of habitus implies a theoretical perspective on coping that considers appropriately the possibilities and boundaries of action.     

Wandlungen des Sterbens im Krankenhaus und die Konflikte zwischen Krankenrolle und Sterberolle

Dying in hospital has long been considered as inevitable but talking about it should be avoided, if possible. For some time now, new ideals of dying demand higher social expectations and requirements for the care of dying people (e.g. psycho-social and spiritual care). This trend can also be found in hospitals. On the basis of a running micro-sociological observational study carried out so far in four hospitals and two hospices the social organisation of dying in the hospital is being investigated and results are presented with an example of a case study. Observed dying trajectories show that the staff refers to two competing metaphors as an interpretative frame for performing its work that we call the ideal of the “short and good” dying and the ideal of the “long and laborious” dying. These idealisation correspond with the practice of “discrete” dying (that have been found in hospitals until the 1970s and that are still dominant in the medical world) and with the practice of “intimating” dying (which are drawn from the demands of the hospice-movement). Within this interpretative frame the staff is able to cope with uncertainties of the dying process. The idealisa-tions help to reformulate cumulative mess trajectories as successful and good work and thus tensions between the sick role and the dying role are minimised.     

Die ambivalente Autonomie des Kulturschaffens: Film, Pressefotografie und Architektur im digitalen Wandel

Basing its findings on a qualitative study, this article examines the digital transformation of cultural production in film and video, press photography and architecture in Austria since the beginning of the 1990s. The focus is on the aspects cost structure of the means of production, occupational roles, and working methods. Amain result is that the use of digital means of production allows a single person or a small enterprise to realize several or all production stages alone, removing the former need to divide the labor. For this phenomenon, the term ‘rational universalism’ was coined by the author. The increased autonomy for the cultural producers connected to it provides not only freedom, especially with respect to artistic and organizational possibilities, and moreover easier entrance to the market, but can also be a mixed blessing for the actors, as it may mean fiercer competition and the risk of precarious working conditions in the investigated cultural industries.