Ulrich Beck
Encyclopedia
Ulrich Beck is a German
sociologist who holds a professorship at Munich University and at the London School of Economics
.
(now Słupsk in Poland
) in 1944. From 1966 onwards he studied sociology
, philosophy
, psychology
, and political science
at Munich University. In 1972 he left as a Doctor of Philosophy
and worked as a sociologist at Munich University. In 1979 he qualified as a university lecturer. He was professor at the universities of Münster
(1979-1981) and Bamberg
(1981-1992). Since 1992 Beck has been professor for sociology and director of the Institute for Sociology of Munich University. He is also the British Journal of Sociology Professor at the London School of Economics
. He has received many international prizes and honors.
From 1995-1997 Beck was a member of the Kommission für Zukunftsfragen der Freistaaten Bayern und Sachsen (Commission for Future Questions of the Free States of Bavaria
and Saxony
). Since 1999 he has been the speaker of the DFG
research programme on Reflexive Modernity.
He is married to the German social scientist
Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim
.
, ecological problems, individualization
, and globalization
. Recently he has also embarked on exploring the changing conditions of work in a world of increasing global capitalism
, declining influence of unions, and flexibilisation of the labor process, a new theory rooted in the concept of cosmopolitanism
. Beck has also contributed a number of new words in German sociology, including "risk society
", "second modernity
", reflexive modernization
and brazilianization (Brasilianisierung).
in the European Parliament
, which was founded to reinvigorate the effort to federalise the European Union (EU). Other prominent supporters are: Jacques Delors
, Daniel Cohn-Bendit
, Guy Verhofstadt
, Andrew Duff
, Elmar Brok
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
sociologist who holds a professorship at Munich University and at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Life
Beck was born in the Pomeranian town of Stolp, GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(now Słupsk in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
) in 1944. From 1966 onwards he studied sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at Munich University. In 1972 he left as a Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
and worked as a sociologist at Munich University. In 1979 he qualified as a university lecturer. He was professor at the universities of Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
(1979-1981) and Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
(1981-1992). Since 1992 Beck has been professor for sociology and director of the Institute for Sociology of Munich University. He is also the British Journal of Sociology Professor at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He has received many international prizes and honors.
From 1995-1997 Beck was a member of the Kommission für Zukunftsfragen der Freistaaten Bayern und Sachsen (Commission for Future Questions of the Free States of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
). Since 1999 he has been the speaker of the DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
research programme on Reflexive Modernity.
He is married to the German social scientist
Social Scientist
Social Scientist is a New Delhi based journal in social sciences and humanities published since 1972....
Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim
Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim
Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim , is a German sociologist, psychologist, and philosopher.She holds a professorship at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg....
.
Interests
Beck currently studies modernizationModernization
In the social sciences, modernization or modernisation refers to a model of an evolutionary transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. The teleology of modernization is described in social evolutionism theories, existing as a template that has been generally followed by...
, ecological problems, individualization
Individualization
Individualization may refer to*discrimination or perception of the individual within a group or species**identification in forensics and intelligence*the development of individual traits...
, and globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
. Recently he has also embarked on exploring the changing conditions of work in a world of increasing global capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, declining influence of unions, and flexibilisation of the labor process, a new theory rooted in the concept of cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality. This is contrasted with communitarian and particularistic theories, especially the ideas of patriotism and nationalism...
. Beck has also contributed a number of new words in German sociology, including "risk society
Risk society
"Risk society" is a term that emerged during the 1990s to describe the manner in which modern society organises in response to risk. The term is closely associated with several key writers on modernity, in particular Anthony Giddens and Ulrich Beck...
", "second modernity
Second modernity
Second modernity is a phrase coined by the German sociologist Ulrich Beck, and is his word for the period after modernity.Re-modernity is a renaissance of modernity through realization that not all risks can be controlled...
", reflexive modernization
Reflexive modernization
The concept of reflexive modernization was launched by a joint effort of three of the leading European sociologists - Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck and Scott Lash...
and brazilianization (Brasilianisierung).
The Spinelli Group
On 15 September, 2010 Beck supported the new initiative Spinelli GroupSpinelli Group
The Spinelli Group is a pro-European initiative that was founded with a view to reinvigorate the strive for federalisation of the European Union , by creating a network of citizens, think tanks, NGOs, academics, writers and politicians who support the idea of a federal and united Europe...
in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, which was founded to reinvigorate the effort to federalise the European Union (EU). Other prominent supporters are: Jacques Delors
Jacques Delors
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors is a French economist and politician, the eighth President of the European Commission and the first person to serve three terms in that office .-French Politics:...
, Daniel Cohn-Bendit
Daniel Cohn-Bendit
Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit is a Franco-German politician, active in both countries. He was a student leader during the unrest of May 1968 in France and he was also known during that time as Dany le Rouge...
, Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who was the 47th Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He is currently a Member of the European Parliament and leader of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.- Early career :...
, Andrew Duff
Andrew Duff
Andrew Duff OBE is a Liberal Democrat politician, president of the Union of European Federalists, and a Member of the European Parliament for the East of England region of the UK....
, Elmar Brok
Elmar Brok
Elmar Brok is a German Member of the European Parliament and the former Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was elected on the CDU ticket and sits with the European People's Party group...
.
Works
Beck is the editor of the sociological journal Soziale Welt (since 1980), the author of some 150 articles, and the author or editor of many books, for example:- Risikogesellschaft - Auf dem Weg in eine andere Moderne (1986) :de:Risikogesellschaft (Risk Society)
- Beck, Ulrich (1988) Gegengifte : die organisierte Unverantwortlichkeit. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.
- Beck, Ulrich (1992) Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity. London: Sage
- Riskante Freiheiten - Gesellschaftliche Individualisierungsprozesse in der Moderne (1994, editor together with Elisabeth Beck-GernsheimElisabeth Beck-GernsheimElisabeth Beck-Gernsheim , is a German sociologist, psychologist, and philosopher.She holds a professorship at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg....
) - Beck, Ulrich & Giddens, Anthony & Lash Scott (1994) Reflexive Modernization.Politics, Tradition and Aesthetics in the Modern Social Order. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Eigenes Leben - Ausflüge in die unbekannte Gesellschaft, in der wir leben (1995, together with W. Vossenkuhl and U. E. Ziegler, photographs by T. Rautert)
- Beck-Gernsheim, Elisabeth & Beck, Ulrich (1995) The Normal Chaos of Love. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich (1995) Ecological Politics in an Age of Risk. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich (1996) The Reinvention of Politics.Rethinking Modernity in the Global Social Order. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Was ist Globalisierung? (1997)
- Beck, Ulrich (1998) Democracy without Enemies. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich (1998) World Risk Society. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich (1999) What Is Globalization?. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich (2000) The Brave New World of Work. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Adam, Barbara & Beck, Ulrich & Van Loon, Joost (2000) The Risk Society and Beyond: Critical Issues for Social Theory. London: Sage.
- Beck, Ulrich & Beck-Gernsheim, Elisabeth (2002) Individualization: Institutionalized Individualism and its Social and Political Consequences. London: Sage.
- Beck, Ulrich & Willms, Johannes (2003) Conversations with Ulrich Beck. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich (2005) Power in the Global Age. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich (2006) Cosmopolitan Vision. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, U., & Edgar, G. (2007). Cosmopolitan Europe. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich. (2008). World at Risk. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Beck, Ulrich & Grande, Edgar (2010) "Varieties of second modernity: extra-European and European experiences and perspectives" British Journal of Sociology, Vol 61, Issue 3, Pages 406-638.
External links
- Professor Ulrich Beck - his staff page at the LSELondon School of EconomicsThe London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
- Homepage of Prof. Dr. Ulrich Beck
- Unofficial Ulrich Beck trading card at theorycards.org
- Ideas radio show, discusses Ulrich's concepts of risk in science and society
- New media artwork inspired by Ulrich Beck's work, created by eco-art collaborative EcoArtTech
- Interview with Ulrich Beck:“Nationalism does not leave much room for the recognition of others”, Barcelona MetropolisBarcelona MetropolisBarcelona Metrópolis is a magazine of urban information and thought dedicated to monitoring the evolution of the city of Barcelona.Barcelona...
, 2009.