What Future For World Society?

This event will mark the life of one of Europe’s most inspirational sociologists, Professor Ulrich Beck| (15 May 1944 – 1 January 2015) who had a long and profitable engagement with the Department of Sociology at the LSE where he taught legions of Masters and PhD students, gave regular public lectures, and was one of the most active contributors to the British Journal of Sociology.

Ulrich was fundamentally a questioning sociologist, asking provocative questions about what it meant to do social science, and comprehend the nature of society itself in an era of radical social change. He introduced a remarkable battery of concepts, most of which have proved fundamental for inspiring debate, ranging from ‘risk society’ through ‘reflexive modernity’, ‘individualisation’, and ‘cosmopolitanisation’. To do justice to the breadth and ambition of his thinking we bring together leading social scientists to reflect on his intellectual contribution and the insights it offers for understanding the future of world society. Two panels will feature three speakers who will take stock of his thinking and offer their own thoughts about the issues he raised.

6.30: Welcome by Craig Calhoun, Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

6.35: Panel 1: Diagnoses of modernity: reflexive modernity and risk

Chaired by Tony Giddens, former Director of the LSE, who will lead the discussion.

Mary Kaldor, Professor of Global Governance at the LSE.

Nik Rose, Professor of Sociology and Head of the Department of Social Science, Health & Medicine, Kings College London.

7.25: Panel 2: The challenge of contemporary transformations: cosmopolitanism and globalisation

Chaired by Craig Calhoun who will lead the discussion.

Terhi Rantanen, Professor of Media and Communications, LSE.

Sabine Selchow, Fellow in Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit at LSE and with Ulrich Beck’s European Research Council grant at Munich.

8.15: Richard Sennett to give closing remarks on behalf of the Department of Sociology, LSE.

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