This article aims to offer a critical overview of sociology in mainland China from its late 19th-century origins to the present. By blending historical contextualization with content analysis, I chart the distinctive trajectory of Chinese sociology with reference to predominant influences from the state and American sponsorship. While witnessing a diversification of research topics, indigenization has been central to Chinese sociology ever since its inception. The recent controversy over indigenization as a “pseudo-problem” is underpinned by the broader relationship of Chinese sociologists with the state. Concomitantly, decolonial scholarship has been largely absent in Chinese sociology. Instead of epistemic critique, Chinese sociologists mostly pursue indigenization as a mean to “catch up” with the West or valorize traditional culture. After noting the dominance of professional over public sociology, I conclude by outlining some opportunities and challenges facing Chinese sociology, which revolve around its hierarchical structures at the institutional, regional, and gender levels.
After the end of the Cold War, sociology in Central and Eastern Europe – which had existed for several decades under the conditions of the geopolitical East–West divide – found itself caught up in new divisions, dichotomies, and (self-)categorizations. This article examines the post-1989 development of sociology in the region, starting from the idea that dichotomous thinking hinders the identification of paradoxes and dilemmas in the research practices of sociologists from Central and Eastern Europe; when left unresolved, these paradoxes and dilemmas affect both the professional ethos, and the place and role of sociology beyond academia. By tracing the metamorphoses in the conceptualizations of several dichotomies (East–West, before–after 1989, national–international), we demonstrate the epistemological, theoretical, methodological, and linguistic dilemmas in which Central and Eastern European sociologists find themselves, as well as the professional choices in publishing that reproduce these dilemmas.
This paper, on Indian sociology, contributes to the international sociological outlook on Indian sociology by discussing its involvement in the World Congress of Sociology. At the 2023 World Congress, organised by the International Sociological Association (ISA) in Melbourne, Australia, India achieved a significant milestone by ranking third in the number of paper presentations, behind Australia and the USA, marking an increase in participation compared to previous congresses. With this enhanced visibility, this review aims to evaluate how India’s paper presentations align with presenters’ topics and locations, their methods, and the degree of collaboration among presenters. This analysis shows some of the unique perspectives of Indian sociologists on the international context. The article also identifies contemporary focal areas of Indian sociology as reflected in the themes presented at the Congress, providing insights into current priorities and emerging trends within the discipline and how Indian sociologists are addressing pressing social issues today. The findings reveal the diverse nature of Indian sociology relative to global sociology, particularly in themes, methodologies, and collaborative approaches.
The socioeconomic gap between the top earners and the remainder of the population has expanded dramatically in the past few decades. Social scientists have been examining this issue from several theoretical and empirical perspectives. Recently, the observation that the extent and type of current global inequality is paralleling that of medieval feudalism is gaining a foothold. This essay examines this theme through two major and recent publications that, I argue, sacrifice the scientific value of the parallel with the feudalist economy in favor of political mobilization.
This review examines José Pérez Adán’s Moral Sociology for a New Epoch (2025), which proposes the establishment of “moral sociology” as a distinct perspective within the social sciences. Pérez Adán argues that morality is embedded in social relations and institutions and therefore cannot be relegated to philosophy alone. Drawing on communitarian sociology, especially the work of Amitai Etzioni and Raymond Boudon’s concept of transsubjectivity, the book calls for a sociological approach to moral objectivity, collective responsibility, and value hierarchies. It also highlights the roles of transcendence, family sovereignty, and structures of virtue in sustaining social order. While provocative and innovative, the book raises questions about pluralism, empirical application, and the place of theology in sociological reasoning.
How do newcomers to Rio de Janeiro engage with difference and inequality in the urban landscape and the bodies circulating within it? In the 2010s, recently arrived Senegalese and Spaniards unevenly engaged with the affective atmospheres and collective aesthetics which urban spaces and their inhabitants afforded. Combining critical phenomenology and performativity, I conceive of repertoire as the conceptual lens to account for the newcomers' struggles with and specific ways of relating to the countless hierarchies that pervade urban life. More specifically, their sensorial repertoires articulate how newcomers attune to dense urban landscapes mediated by their embodied experience that ranges from privilege and racism to desire and fear. In sensorial repertoires, newcomers continuously modulate the racial, gendered, and classed reifications and prejudice which they situate within transnational and local trajectories. More broadly, repertoires echo and co-constitute the challenging everyday of dense, unequal, and multifaceted urban worlds. Comment les personnes install & eacute;es depuis peu & agrave; Rio de Janeiro appr & eacute;hendent-elles les diff & eacute;rences et les in & eacute;galit & eacute;s dans le paysage urbain et les corps qui l'habitent ? Dans les ann & eacute;es 2010, les S & eacute;n & eacute;galais et les Espagnols r & eacute;cemment arriv & eacute;s dans la ville ont abord & eacute; de mani & egrave;re in & eacute;gale les atmosph & egrave;res affectives et l'esth & eacute;tique collective qu'offraient les espaces urbains et leurs habitants. Alliant ph & eacute;nom & eacute;nologie critique et performativit & eacute;, je con & ccedil;ois le r & eacute;pertoire comme une grille de lecture conceptuelle permettant d'expliquer les difficult & eacute;s rencontr & eacute;es par les nouveaux venus face aux innombrables hi & eacute;rarchies qui impr & egrave;gnent la vie urbaine, ainsi que les mani & egrave;res sp & eacute;cifiques qu'ils ont de les aborder. Plus pr & eacute;cis & eacute;ment, les r & eacute;pertoires sensoriels des nouveaux venus font ressortir la mani & egrave;re dont les nouveaux venus s'adaptent & agrave; travers leur exp & eacute;rience incarn & eacute;e, qui va du privil & egrave;ge au racisme, en passant par le d & eacute;sir et la peur, & agrave; des paysages urbains denses. Dans ces r & eacute;pertoires sensoriels, les nouveaux venus modulent en permanence les r & eacute;ifications et les pr & eacute;jug & eacute;s li & eacute;s & agrave; la race, au genre et & agrave; la classe sociale, qu'ils situent au sein de trajectoires transnationales et locales. Plus largement, les r & eacute;pertoires rappellent et co-constituent le quotidien difficile de mondes urbains multiformes, denses, et in & eacute;galitaires. & iquest;C & oacute;mo interact & uacute;an los reci & eacute;n llegados a R & iacute;o de Janeiro con las diferencias y la desigualdad en el paisaje urbano y los cuerpos que lo habitan? En la d & eacute;cada de 2010, los senegaleses y espa & ntilde;oles reci & eacute;n llegados interactuaron de manera desigual con las atm & oacute;sferas afectivas y la est & eacute;tica colectiva que ofrec & iacute;an los espacios urbanos y sus habitantes. Combinando la fenomenolog & iacute;a cr & iacute;tica y la performatividad, este art & iacute;culo concibe el repertorio como la lente conceptual para explicar las luchas de los reci & eacute;n llegados y sus formas espec & iacute;ficas de relacionarse con las innumerables jerarqu & iacute;as presentes en la vida urbana. M & aacute;s espec & iacute;ficamente, sus repertorios sensoriales articulan c & oacute;mo los reci & eacute;n llegados se sintonizan con los densos paisajes urbanos, mediados por su experiencia corporal, que abarca desde el privilegio y el racismo hasta el deseo y el miedo. En los repertorios sensoriales, los reci & eacute;n llegados modulan continuamente las reificaciones y los prejuicios raciales, de g & eacute;nero y de clase que ellos mismos sit & uacute;an dentro de trayectorias transnacionales y locales. En un sentido m & aacute;s amplio, los repertorios reflejan y co-constituyen la desafiante vida cotidiana de mundos urbanos densos, desiguales y multifac & eacute;ticos.
Social capital is central to the reproduction of stratification, but the extent to which national context explains cross-national differences remains unclear. Drawing on Bourdieu and Lin, this study examines how much social capital varies across individuals and countries and whether a small set of country-level structural proxies accounts for the remaining between-country variation. Using the 2017 ISSP Social Networks and Social Resources module (N = 30,936 across 29 countries) and hierarchical linear models, the analysis shows that more than 91% of variation in social capital lies at the individual level, while 8.7% is attributable to country differences. Education, occupational prestige, and social class are consistently and positively associated with social capital across contexts. Although the macro indicators explain a limited share of between-country variance, institutional design and policy shifts may shape the opportunity structures through which individual-level stratification processes are reproduced or mitigated. Si le capital social joue un r & ocirc;le central dans la reproduction de la stratification sociale, il reste & agrave; savoir dans quelle mesure le contexte national explique les diff & eacute;rences observ & eacute;es d'un pays & agrave; l'autre. & Agrave; partir des travaux de Bourdieu et de Lin, nous cherchons & agrave; d & eacute;terminer dans cette & eacute;tude dans quelle mesure le capital social varie d'un individu & agrave; l'autre et d'un pays & agrave; l'autre, et si un ensemble limit & eacute; d'indicateurs structurels au niveau national permet d'expliquer la variation r & eacute;siduelle entre les pays . & Agrave; l'aide du module & laquo; R & eacute;seaux sociaux et ressources sociales & raquo; de l'& eacute;dition 2017 de l'ISSP (N = 30.936 dans 29 pays) et de mod & egrave;les lin & eacute;aires hi & eacute;rarchiques, l'analyse montre que plus de 91% de la variation du capital social se situe au niveau individuel, tandis que 8,7% est attribuable aux diff & eacute;rences entre pays. L'& eacute;ducation, le prestige professionnel et la classe sociale sont syst & eacute;matiquement et positivement associ & eacute;s au capital social dans tous les contextes. Bien que les macro-indicateurs n'expliquent qu'une part limit & eacute;e de la variation entre les pays, la configuration des institutions et les changements dans les politiques publiques peuvent d & eacute;terminer les structures d'opportunit & eacute; & agrave; travers lesquelles les processus de stratification sociale au niveau individuel sont reproduits ou att & eacute;nu & eacute;s. El capital social es fundamental para la reproducci & oacute;n de la estratificaci & oacute;n, pero sigue sin estar claro hasta qu & eacute; punto el contexto nacional explica las diferencias entre pa & iacute;ses. A partir de las teor & iacute;as de Bourdieu y Lin, este art & iacute;culo examina la variabilidad del capital social entre individuos y pa & iacute;ses, y si un peque & ntilde;o conjunto de indicadores estructurales a nivel nacional explica la variaci & oacute;n residual entre pa & iacute;ses. Utilizando el m & oacute;dulo sobre Redes Sociales y Recursos Sociales del ISSP 2017 (N = 30.936 en 29 pa & iacute;ses) y modelos lineales jer & aacute;rquicos, el an & aacute;lisis muestra que m & aacute;s del 91% de la variaci & oacute;n en el capital social reside en el nivel individual, mientras que el 8,7% es atribuible a las diferencias entre pa & iacute;ses. La educaci & oacute;n, el prestigio ocupacional y la clase social se asocian de forma consistente y positiva con el capital social en todos los contextos. Si bien los indicadores macro explican una proporci & oacute;n limitada de la varianza entre pa & iacute;ses, el dise & ntilde;o institucional, as & iacute; como cambios en las pol & iacute;ticas p & uacute;blicas pueden configurar las estructuras de oportunidad a trav & eacute;s de las cuales se reproducen los procesos de estratificaci & oacute;n a nivel individual o se mitigan.
This article advances a framework for understanding the long-term effects of contentious politics by foregrounding temporality and complex causality. While temporality has gained prominence in the literature, particularly in research on memory and impacts, dominant approaches often assume that movement effects dilute as time horizons expand, limiting political influence to the short term and to processes of institutionalization. This article challenges these assumptions by proposing the metaphor of time travel as a heuristic device for rethinking causality, agency, and change. Used analytically, the metaphor highlights alterations and interruptions of existing temporal lines of conflict, and the emergence of new ones. The framework is illustrated through a longitudinal analysis of four major episodes of contention in Chile, spanning from the democratic transition of the early 1990s to the estallido social of 2019. The analysis shows how grievances, repertoires, and political expectations travel across time through shifting carriers. Pour comprendre les effets & agrave; long terme de la politique contestataire, cet article propose un cadre d'analyse qui met l'accent sur la temporalit & eacute; et la causalit & eacute; complexe. Bien que la temporalit & eacute; soit d & eacute;sormais davantage prise en compte dans les travaux sur le sujet, en particulier dans ceux consacr & eacute;s & agrave; la m & eacute;moire et aux r & eacute;percussions, la plupart partent du principe que l'impact des mouvements sociaux s'estompe & agrave; mesure que l'horizon temporel s'& eacute;tend, ce qui r & eacute;duit l'influence politique au temps court et aux processus d'institutionnalisation. Ces hypoth & egrave;ses de d & eacute;part sont ici remises en question en proposant la m & eacute;taphore du voyage dans le temps comme ressource heuristique pour repenser la causalit & eacute;, la capacit & eacute; d'action et le changement. Utilis & eacute;e de mani & egrave;re analytique, cette m & eacute;taphore fait ressortir les alt & eacute;rations et les interruptions des lignes temporelles de conflit existantes, ainsi que l'& eacute;mergence de nouvelles lignes de conflit. Ce cadre d'analyse est illustr & eacute; par une & eacute;tude longitudinale de quatre grands & eacute;pisodes de contestation au Chili, depuis la transition d & eacute;mocratique du d & eacute;but des ann & eacute;es 1990 & agrave; l'estallido social (& laquo; explosion sociale & raquo;) de 2019. L'analyse montre comment les revendications, les r & eacute;pertoires et les attentes politiques voyagent dans le temps en changeant de vecteurs. Este art & iacute;culo propone un marco de an & aacute;lisis para entender los efectos a largo plazo de la pol & iacute;tica de protesta, haciendo hincapi & eacute; en la temporalidad y la causalidad compleja. Aunque la temporalidad ha cobrado relevancia en la literatura, particularmente en la investigaci & oacute;n sobre memoria e impactos, los enfoques dominantes suelen asumir que los efectos de los movimientos se diluyen a medida que se expanden los horizontes temporales, limitando la influencia pol & iacute;tica al corto plazo y a los procesos de institucionalizaci & oacute;n. Este art & iacute;culo cuestiona estas asunciones al proponer la met & aacute;fora del viaje en el tiempo como un recurso heur & iacute;stico para repensar la causalidad, la agencia y el cambio. En su uso anal & iacute;tico, la met & aacute;fora resalta las alteraciones e interrupciones de las l & iacute;neas temporales de conflicto existentes y el surgimiento de otras nuevas. El marco de an & aacute;lisis se ilustra mediante un estudio longitudinal de cuatro episodios importantes de protesta en Chile, que abarcan desde la transici & oacute;n democr & aacute;tica de principios de la d & eacute;cada de 1990 hasta el estallido social de 2019. El an & aacute;lisis muestra c & oacute;mo los agravios, los repertorios y las expectativas pol & iacute;ticas viajan a trav & eacute;s del tiempo mediante portadores cambiantes.
This article addresses knowledge and expertise produced by social movements as an essential part of their strategies and aims, and as ones of their most significant possible consequences. Bridging the interactive approach in social movement studies with different reflections on activist knowledge from other disciplines, it will introduce the analytical model of 'activist expertise', with the goal of recognizing and analyzing social movement players as epistemic actors. Mostly known for their more manifest actions, activists in fact do much more than simply protest in the street. Particularly, they dedicate relevant efforts to building new or reframing existing knowledge. In spite of its impact in our societies, and of the large literature on it, this activity is still scarcely recognized. To illustrate the argument, the article will build on some paradigmatic examples, and particularly on an instrumental case, focusing on the Lisbon's right to housing movement. The final goal is to contribute to the understanding of social movements' consequences in a processual and interactive way, looking at their role in creating knowledge, building expertise and promoting innovation. Cet article traite des connaissances et de l'expertise produites par les mouvements sociaux comme un & eacute;l & eacute;ment essentiel de leurs strat & eacute;gies et de leurs objectifs, ainsi que comme l'une de leurs cons & eacute;quences potentielles les plus significatives. En faisant le lien entre l'approche interactive des & eacute;tudes sur les mouvements sociaux et diff & eacute;rentes r & eacute;flexions sur les connaissances activistes issues d'autres disciplines, l'article introduit le mod & egrave;le analytique de & laquo; l'expertise activiste & raquo; dans le but de reconna & icirc;tre et d'analyser les acteurs des mouvements sociaux en tant qu'acteurs & eacute;pist & eacute;miques. Surtout connus pour leurs actions les plus manifestes, les activistes font en r & eacute;alit & eacute; bien plus que simplement manifester dans la rue. Ils consacrent notamment des efforts consid & eacute;rables & agrave; & eacute;laborer de nouveaux savoirs ou & agrave; red & eacute;finir des savoirs existants. Malgr & eacute; ses r & eacute;percussions sur nos soci & eacute;t & eacute;s et l'abondante litt & eacute;rature qui lui est consacr & eacute;e, cette activit & eacute; reste pourtant peu reconnue. Quelques exemples paradigmatiques, et en particulier un cas d'& eacute;tude concret - celui du mouvement pour le droit au logement & agrave; Lisbonne - permettront d'illustrer cet argument. L'objectif final est de contribuer & agrave; la compr & eacute;hension des cons & eacute;quences des mouvements sociaux d'une mani & egrave;re processuelle et interactive, en examinant leur r & ocirc;le dans la cr & eacute;ation de connaissances, le d & eacute;veloppement d'une expertise et la promotion de l'innovation. Este art & iacute;culo aborda los conocimientos y saberes expertos generados por los movimientos sociales como parte esencial de sus estrategias y objetivos, y como una de sus consecuencias posibles m & aacute;s significativas. A trav & eacute;s de la integraci & oacute;n del enfoque interactivo de los estudios sobre movimientos sociales con diversas reflexiones sobre el conocimiento activista provenientes de otras disciplinas, se introduce el modelo anal & iacute;tico de "saber experto activista", con el fin de reconocer y analizar a los actores de los movimientos sociales como agentes epist & eacute;micos. Si bien son conocidos principalmente por sus acciones m & aacute;s manifiestas, los activistas, de hecho, hacen mucho m & aacute;s que simplemente protestar en la calle. En particular, dedican esfuerzos importantes a la construcci & oacute;n de conocimiento nuevo o a la reformulaci & oacute;n del existente. A pesar de su impacto en nuestras sociedades y de la extensa bibliograf & iacute;a al respecto, esta actividad a & uacute;n es poco reconocida. Para ilustrar este argumento, el art & iacute;culo se basa en algunos ejemplos paradigm & aacute;ticos, y en particular en un caso pr & aacute;ctico, centr & aacute;ndose en el movimiento por el derecho a la vivienda de Lisboa. El objetivo final es contribuir a la comprensi & oacute;n de las consecuencias de los movimientos sociales de manera procesual e interactiva, analizando su papel en la creaci & oacute;n de conocimiento, la construcci & oacute;n de saber experto y la promoci & oacute;n de la innovaci & oacute;n.
This Introduction presents the Thematic Section "Social Movements in the Long Term," which examines how social movements generate effects beyond visible protest peaks and immediate political outcomes. It argues for a long-term approach in which duration, continuity, and historical rootedness are treated as constitutive dimensions of contentious politics. Building on debates on temporality, movement outcomes, abeyance, repertoires and historical sociology, the Introduction identifies the limitations of event-centered research and outlines an agenda for studying delayed, indirect, cultural, organizational, and biographical consequences. The Thematic Section brings together three contributions: C & eacute;sar Guzm & aacute;n-Concha's analysis of temporal dynamics and complex causality in Chilean contentious politics; Guya Accornero's account of activist expertise and movements' knowledge production; and Cristina Flesher Fominaya's genealogical analysis of the long-term effects of Spain's 15-M/Indignados movement. Cet article est une introduction & agrave; la section th & eacute;matique & laquo; LeConcha sur les dynamiques temporelles et la causs mouvements sociaux dans la dur & eacute;e & raquo; consacr & eacute;e aux r & eacute;percussions des mouvements sociaux, au-del & agrave; des pics manifestes de contestation et des r & eacute;sultats politiques imm & eacute;diats. L'approche pr & eacute;conis & eacute;e est celle du long terme, la dur & eacute;e, la continuit & eacute; et l'ancrage historique & eacute;tant consid & eacute;r & eacute;s comme des dimensions constitutives de la politique contestataire. Sur la base des d & eacute;bats relatifs & agrave; la temporalit & eacute;, aux aboutissements, & agrave; la suspension, aux r & eacute;pertoires des mouvements sociaux et & agrave; la sociologie historique, cette Introduction met en & eacute;vidence les limites de la recherche centr & eacute;e sur les & eacute;v & eacute;nements et esquisse des pistes pour & eacute;tudier les repercussions tardives, indirectes, culturelles, organisationnelles et biographiques des mouvements sociaux. La Section th & eacute;matique rassemble trois contributions : l'analyse de C & eacute;sar Guzm & aacute;n-Concha sur les dynamiques temporelles et la causalit & eacute; complexe dans la politique contestataire chilienne ; le compte rendu de Guya Accornero sur l'expertise activiste et la production de connaissances par les mouvements sociaux ; et l'analyse g & eacute;n & eacute;alogique de Cristina Flesher Fominaya sur les effets & agrave; long terme du mouvement espagnol des Indign & eacute;s. Este art & iacute;culo es una introducci & oacute;n a la secci & oacute;n tem & aacute;tica "Los movimientos sociales en el largo plazo", que examina c & oacute;mo los movimientos sociales generan efectos m & aacute;s all & aacute; de los picos de protesta visibles y de los resultados pol & iacute;ticos inmediatos. El art & iacute;culo defiende un enfoque a largo plazo en el que la duraci & oacute;n, la continuidad y el arraigo hist & oacute;rico se consideran dimensiones constitutivas de la pol & iacute;tica de protesta. Partiendo de los debates sobre la temporalidad, los resultados de los movimientos, la suspensi & oacute;n, los repertorios y la sociolog & iacute;a hist & oacute;rica, esta introducci & oacute;n identifica las limitaciones de la investigaci & oacute;n centrada en eventos y esboza una agenda para el estudio de las consecuencias retardadas, indirectas, culturales, organizativas y biogr & aacute;ficas. La secci & oacute;n tem & aacute;tica re & uacute;ne tres contribuciones: el an & aacute;lisis de C & eacute;sar Guzm & aacute;n-Concha sobre la din & aacute;mica temporal y la causalidad compleja en la pol & iacute;tica de protesta chilena, la descripci & oacute;n de Guya Accornero sobre el conocimiento experto activista y la producci & oacute;n de conocimiento por parte de los movimientos y el an & aacute;lisis geneal & oacute;gico de Cristina Flesher Fominaya sobre los efectos a largo plazo del movimiento 15-M/de los Indignados de Espa & ntilde;a.
