Eilert Sundt lecture 2000

The Cosmopolitarian Society and its Enemies

Professor Ulrick Beck,
Institut für Soziologie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität,
München, Germany

Thursday 26th, 2000
15.15 - 17.00 Auditorium 1,
Eilert Sundts house

Ulrich Beck’s teaching concentrates on modernization theory, sociology of environment, transformation of work and social inequalities. He has just finished a book on the transformation of work society into a risk society, which summarizes his theoretical, empirical, and political engagement in this field for many years. His most recent research activities include a long-term empirical study of the sociological and political implications of ‘reflexive modernization’, which explores the complexities and uncertainties of the process of transformation from first to second modernity. Specifically he is working on a sociological framework to analyse the ambivalences and dynamics of ‘cosmopolitan societies’.

Professor Ulrich Beck is Professor of Sociology at Der Ludwig-Maxmillians-Universität in Munich and Professor at the London School of Economics and Sciences. Between 1995 and 1998 he was Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Cardiff. He has received the Honorary degree of social science from the University of Jyväskylä/Finland. Beck is chief-editor of Soziale Welt and of the books Edition Second Modernity at Suhrkamp. Between 1995 and 1997 he was member of the Future Commission of the German Government. He is the director of a research centre at the University of Munich. He has also been a fellow of several scientific institutions, among others the Institute for Advanced Study Berlin in 1990-1991.

His most recent books (all translated into many languages) include: Risk Society (1992); Reflexive Modernization (1994, with A. Giddens/ S. Lash); Ecological Politics in an Age of Risk (1995); Ecological Enlightenment (1995); The Normal Chaos of Love (1995, with E. Beck-Gernsheim); The Reinvention of Politics (1996); Democracy Without Enemies (1998); World Risk Society (1999); What is Globalization? (1999); Individualization (2000, with E. Beck-Gernsheim); Future of Work and Democracy (2000).

On Friday October 27th at 9.15, Beck gave a second lecture in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Deparment of Sociology. The lecture was titled: Beyond the Work Society and held in Auditorium 2, Helga Engs hus.