Full Description
With regard to developments in social theory, the past 30 years can be characterized as an Age of Deconstruction. Inspired by post-structuralism, postmodernism, critical theory, and science studies, as well as combinations of related approaches, theorists have endeavored to shatter historical meta-narratives and struggled to include previously excluded standpoints in social thought. This important trend has informed our understanding of the role of discourse, difference and expertise in determining relations of power and inequality.
This volume focusses on "Reconstruction", dedicated to taking account of and interrogating the possibility of picking up the pieces. The papers were presented at the 2015 International Social Theory Consortium (ISTC). It considers questions such as, are there limits to the deconstruction project, and have these limits been reached? What are the possibilities for the reconstruction of narratives of long-term historical change? Is it possible to include and integrate the insights and contribution of various critiques of knowledge, while at the same time developing new forms of knowledge?
Contents
Introduction
PART I: PROJECTS OF RECONSTRUCTION IN HISTORY: NEO-PLATONISM, HEGEL, HONNETH, AND DERRIDA
The Birth Of The True, The Good, And The Beautiful: Toward An Investigation Of The Structures Of Social Thought - John Levi Martin
The Concept Of Normative Reconstruction: Honneth, Hegel, And The Aims Of Critical Social Theory - Andrew Buchwalter
Euporia: On The Limits, Horizons And Possibilities Of Critique (Or: On Reconstruction) - Raymond Aaron Younis
PART II: PROJECTS OF RECONSTRUCTION IN SOCIAL THEORY: SELF, SUFFERING, AND RELIGION IN MODERNITY
Reconstructing The Self: A Goffmanian Perspective - Simon Susen
Weber And Levinas On Modernity And The Problem Of Suffering: Reconstructing Social Theory As Ethically Framed Rather Than Epistemologically Framed - Stan J. Knapp
Rowan Williams And Hans-Georg Gadamer Contra Jürgen Habermas: Rethinking The Problem Of Religion For Liberals As A Problem Of Dialogue - Justin Cruickshank
PART III: RECONSTRUCTION AND POLITICAL PRACTICE
Theoretical Reconstruction For Welfare State Democracy: `Third Way' Sociology And The Art Of The Possible - E. Stina Lyon
Reconstructive Science And The European Constitution: Habermas, Citizenship, And The Tension Between Facts And Norms - William Outhwaite
PART IV: REVIEW ESSAY
Turning The Circle: Considerations Of "The Postmodern Turn" À La Simon Susen - Lawrence Hazelrigg
