The Spirit of Luc Boltanski
- Compte rendu de Pierre Alayrac
Publié le 10 septembre 2015
Présentation de l'éditeur
‘Among the explorers of social life and its dynamics, Luc Boltanski is one of the greatest path-finders and path-blazers alive. The ideas he forms in successive reports of his findings are invariably as novel as the realities he investigates and indefatigably attempts, with great success, to catch in flight.’ —Zygmunt Bauman, Emeritus Professor, University of Leeds
‘Luc Boltanski has been among the most wide-ranging, creative, and influential of recent social scientists. His work has shaped and indeed helped to revive the tradition of pragmatist enquiry in sociology. This collection is the first comprehensive assessment of his work; it is exceptionally good, and it should be of interest to all social theorists and cultural sociologists.’ —Craig Calhoun, Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science
‘This is a book that is needed to understand the ideas and research dynamics of one of the greatest contemporary sociologists. This impressive collection of essays provides not only an introduction to his work, but also insightful analyses of its reception, critical discussions on its wider significance, and reflexive comments by Luc Boltanski himself, all of which will make this volume a classic.’ —Ève Chiapello, Research Director, School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), Paris
‘In his rich theoretical and empirical work, Boltanski has given new meaning to the notion of “critique” – away from the pretensions of academic radicals, toward actual human beings and their moral judgements. This impressively wide-ranging collection gives an excellent overview of the controversies about one of the most prominent French sociologists.’ —Hans Joas, Humboldt University of Berlin and University of Chicago
‘This superb volume offers a complete critical appraisal of Luc Boltanski’s major works. The range and depth of analysis in impressive. The individual chapters, authored by established scholars, are most insightful and the introductory and concluding chapters by the editors are exceptional.’ —Gerard Delanty, University of Sussex
What is the relevance of Luc Boltanski’s ‘pragmatic sociology of critique’ to central issues in contemporary social and political analysis? In seeking to respond to this question, this book contains critical commentaries from prominent social theorists attempting to map out the influence and broad scope of Boltanski’s oeuvre.
The book will be useful to anyone interested in sociology, anthropology, political science, and philosophy.
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