Focusing on the pervasive concept of risk in everyday life, the book offers a critical overview of how individuals navigate work, family, trust, and friendship through a lens of danger. Iain Wilkinson contrasts various sociological theories of risk and highlights key empirical research findings on human perception and response to risk. Additionally, he addresses moral and political dimensions related to risk, equipping readers with the tools to engage in contemporary sociological debates about its implications for society.
Focusing on the sociological aspects of anxiety, this book explores its relevance in understanding our contemporary experience of risk and uncertainty. It delves into how anxiety shapes our perceptions and responses to the complexities of modern life, highlighting its significance in navigating today's challenges. Through this lens, the author provides insights into the societal implications of anxiety and its impact on individuals and communities.
Focusing on the social causes of individual suffering, this book challenges the dispassionate stance often found in anthropology and sociology. Authors Iain Wilkinson and Arthur Kleinman advocate for integrating compassion and caregiving into social science, aiming to create a moral framework against indifference. They critique the coldness of academic approaches and propose a more engaged, humane understanding of society. This thought-provoking work serves as both a guide and a call to action, urging a compassionate response to global suffering and injustice.
"What is the meaning of human suffering for society? How has this meaning changed from the past to the present? In what ways does "the problem of suffering" serve to inspire us to act with care for others? How does our response to suffering reveal the moral state of our humanity and our social condition? In this trenchant work, Arthur Kleinman--a renowned figure in medical anthropology--and Iain Wilkinson, an award-winning sociologist, team up to offer some answers to these profound questions. A Passion for Society investigates the historical development and current condition of social science with a focus on how this development has been shaped in response to problems of social suffering. Following a line of criticism offered by key social theorists and cultural commentators who themselves were unhappy with the professionalization of social science, Wilkinson and Kleinman provide a critical commentary on how studies of human social life have moved from an original concern with social suffering and its amelioration to dispassionate inquiries. The authors demonstrate how social care is revitalizing and remaking the discipline of social science, and they examine the potential for achieving social understanding though a moral commitment to the practice of care. In this deeply considered work, Wilkinson and Kleinman argue for an engaged social science that connects critical thought with social action, that seeks to learn through caregiving, and that operates with a commitment to establish and sustain humane forms of society"--Provided by publisher
