Anthony Giddens on social democracy
The future of democracy will be the subject when Anthony Giddens comes to UiO on 17 June
Giddens is one of the world's leading social theoreticians. Along with sociologists such as Habermas and Bourdieu he has contributed to European sociologists from the 1970s onwards having taken over the hegemony in social theory from Americans, says Ragnvald Kalleberg, professor in sociology at ISS.
The British sociologist Anthony Giddens will hold this year's Aubert Memorial lecture at the University of Oslo. 73 year old Giddens is one of the most cited sociologists in the world. His more than 40 books are translated to more than 40 languages. (Picture is reproduced with kind permission).
Giddens has been important for a number of the researchers at the department since the mid 1970s, and his work has been read by generations of students.
One of the most important things Kalleberg himself has learned from Giddens is a understanding of the social sciences that is closer to daily reality. - Previously there has been a lot of theory that has been blind to reality, based upon an unclear and misunderstood mimicing of the natural sciences, he says.
Academics as public intellectuals
Anthony Giddens is also known as Tony Blair's guru when the latter was Prime Minister of the UK. "The third way", launched by Giddens, represented a renewal of social democracy in the UK and gave ideas and inspiration to so-called New Labour.
- Since the middle of the 1990s Giddens has used increasingly more of his time for research dissemination, Kalleberg says. In the English-speaking world there is an increasing focus on academics as public intellectuals, he points out.
- Researchers shall communicate academic insights to a broad public. Those outside of the specialised discipline's circle shall also be given access to the discipline's findings. Giddens has spent increasingly more of his time to this work, and combined this to some extent with the role of professional expert. Not least as advisor to the Prime Minister of the UK.
Vilhelm Aubert was aslo an influential public intellectual. And there are further similarities worth mentioning. Both Giddens and Aubert have written teaching books in sociology and have been internationally renonwned and leading sociologists in their respective countries.
- Additionally, both have insisted that sociological research should focus on solving problems and being relevant to society, says Kalleberg.
Norway is interesting for international sociologists
The Aubert lecturer receives a generous fee, but it is first and foremost an academic honour to be invited, says professor Kalleberg.
- It's interesting for international sociologists to visit Norway because we have a unique type of modern society.
American sociologists are for example currently fascinated by the Nordic countries' faculty for flexicurity, he points out. In other words the ability to maintain well-functioning welfare schemes concurrent with economic flexibility and productivity.
- Giddens is among those who often refer to Nordic schemes in, for example, "The Third Way".
- Therefore the theme the future of social democracy for the Aubert Memorial Lecture?
- This has been a central theme for Giddens for the last 15 or 20 years, often referred to as the "The Third Way". After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe a new era began, with new challenges. Giddens answers this with analysis of modernity. He is critical of the current fashion for market fundamentalists, of the traditional belief of the left in sate regulation and of those who expect too much of civil society's identity politics and groups based upon solidarity.
Aubert continues to inspire
Norwegian sociology is strong internationally. This was recently confirmed in an evaluation initiated by the Norwegian Research Council.
- In scarcely any other country do sociologists have such a strong influence on their own society, says Kalleberg. - I think of sociology both as a research discipline and as a subject for teaching, by our extensive research dissemination and participation in public debate, and by sociologists in advisory positions.
Vilhelm Aubert is a sociologist that he believes should be a source of inspiration for generations of students to come.
- He emphasized the role of the sociologist as an expert, an advisor who intervenes to improve institutions and conditions in society. I remember from my time as a student that he self-critically was amazed that so many social scientists believed it more important to research than to change things. But as he stated clearly: It's more important to solve social problems than to research them.
Giddens a masterful lecturer
- What I have learned most from is Giddens' analysis of late modernity and what is fundamentally different with it when compared with industrial modernity, says research fellow Gunnar C. Aakvaag. He's very much looking forward to listening to Giddens lecture.
- When he was Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) he was known as a masterful lecturer. He never used notes. He is an academic superstar, says Aakvaag.