The institution of critique and the critique of institutions

doi:10.1177/0725513614549433

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The institution of critique and the critique of institutions

Journal Article•DOI•

The institution of critique and the critique of institutions

Craig Browne¹•Institutions (1)

University of Sydney¹

08 Sep 2014-Thesis Eleven (SAGE Publications)-Vol. 124, Iss: 1, pp 20-52

TL;DR: The authors argue that Boltanski's pragmatic sociology makes an important contribution to two central concerns of critical theory: the empirical analysis of the contradictions and conflicts of critical theories, and the analysis of conflicts among critical theories.

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Abstract: My paper argues that Luc Boltanski’s pragmatic sociology makes an important contribution to two central concerns of critical theory: the empirical analysis of the contradictions and conflicts of ca...

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Journal Article•DOI•

One dimensional man

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David Bell

01 May 1965-Philosophical Books

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Capital Resurgent: Roots of the Neoliberal Revolution

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Samuel Knafo¹•Institutions (1)

University of Sussex¹

01 Jan 2007-Historical Materialism

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Book•

Debating Humanity: Towards a Philosophical Sociology

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Daniel Chernilo¹•Institutions (1)

Loughborough University¹

23 Feb 2017

TL;DR: Debating Humanity as discussed by the authors explores sociological and philosophical efforts to delineate key features of humanity that identify us as members of the human species and defends a universalistic principle of humanity as vital to any adequate understanding of social life.

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Abstract: Debating Humanity explores sociological and philosophical efforts to delineate key features of humanity that identify us as members of the human species. After challenging the normative contradictions of contemporary posthumanism, this book goes back to the foundational debate on humanism between Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Heidegger in the 1940s and then re-assesses the implicit and explicit anthropological arguments put forward by seven leading postwar theorists: self-transcendence (Hannah Arendt), adaptation (Talcott Parsons), responsibility (Hans Jonas), language (Jurgen Habermas), strong evaluations (Charles Taylor), reflexivity (Margaret Archer) and reproduction of life (Luc Boltanski). Genuinely interdisciplinary and boldly argued, Daniel Chernilo has crafted a novel philosophical sociology that defends a universalistic principle of humanity as vital to any adequate understanding of social life.

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51 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

On Justification and Critique: Luc Boltanski’s Pragmatic Sociology and International Relations

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Frank Gadinger¹•Institutions (1)

University of Duisburg-Essen¹

01 Sep 2016-International Political Sociology

TL;DR: Boltanski's pragmatic sociology is mainly inspired by pragmatism and ethnomethodology, but it is still concerned with sociology as a critical project of emancipation as discussed by the authors, which can greatly advance international political sociology by further developing a practice theoretical account which reconciles Bruno Latour's Actor-Network Theory and Pierre Bourdieu's praxeology.

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Abstract: Luc Boltanski is one of the most important contemporary social theorists. Whether and how his sociology matters for International Relations (IR) theory has, so far, not been explored. Boltanski’s work, as this article demonstrates, can greatly advance international political sociology by further developing a practice theoretical account which reconciles Bruno Latour’s Actor-Network Theory and Pierre Bourdieu’s praxeology. Boltanski’s pragmatic sociology is mainly inspired by pragmatism and ethnomethodology, but it is still concerned with sociology as a critical project of emancipation. He aims to renew critical sociology by focusing on the ‘critical capacities’ ordinary actors use in disputes and controversies of political life. Practices of justification and critique as triggers of conflicts and sources of agreements are consequently the subjects of analysis. This implies, furthermore, a strong notion of normativity in practice, which reveals a blind spot in current debates in IR. Justification becomes a social practice through which diverging legitimacy claims are tested under conditions of uncertainty. Such a view is conceptually and methodologically relevant for IR scholars interested in contested norms, moral ambiguity, and the fragile character of political reality. Considering Boltanski’s work broadens the empirical scope of practice theory and provides promising new directions for IR theory.

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45 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

The rise of the randomistas: on the experimental turn in international aid

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Kevin P. Donovan¹•Institutions (1)

University of Michigan¹

12 Mar 2018-Economy and Society

TL;DR: In recent years, the use of experimental methodologies has emerged as a central means of evaluating international aid interventions as mentioned in this paper, and randomized control trials (randomized control trials) have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of aid interventions.

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Abstract: In recent years, the use of experimental methodologies has emerged as a central means of evaluating international aid interventions. Today, proponents of randomized control trials (so-called random...

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34 citations

Cites background from "The institution of critique and the..."

...12 For discussions of pragmatic sociology, see C. Browne (2014), Bénatouïl (1999), Celikates (2006) and Wagner (1999)....
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References

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Open Access

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Luc Boltanski, De la critique. Précis de sociologie de l'émancipation

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Jérôme Bourdon

01 Feb 2011

35 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Austerity and Its Antitheses: Practical Negations of Capitalist Legitimacy

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Craig Browne, Simon Susen

01 Mar 2014-South Atlantic Quarterly

TL;DR: The authors investigates the manner in which anti-austerity protests constitute practical negations of capitalist legitimacy, arguing that they contribute to personal and social empowerment, as well as to radical democratization.

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Abstract: This article investigates the manner in which anti-austerity protests constitute practical negations of capitalist legitimacy. The analysis is divided into three parts. The first part discusses the key issues at stake in contemporary anti-austerity protests, from capitalist legitimacy to collective forms of autonomy. The second part examines central sociological dimensions permeating the reality of austerity, from the power of the state, via the pervasive processes of commodification, to the emergence of a “new spirit of capitalism.” The third part reflects on the emancipatory potential of anti-austerity movements, arguing that they contribute to personal and social empowerment, as well as to radical democratization. The article suggests that the recent protests against austerity indicate that there is room not only for despair but also for hope.

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33 citations

Book Chapter•DOI•

Recognition or Redistribution

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Nancy Fraser

01 Jan 2004

29 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Love and justice as competences

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Elaine Hatfield¹, Richard L. Rapson¹•Institutions (1)

University of Hawaii¹

21 Apr 2015-Gender Place and Culture

21 citations

"The institution of critique and the..." refers background in this paper

...In either case, the practices of critique typically involve claims to demonstrate the effects of forces that are not transparent and arguments for change or redress are presented in the universalistic terms of a general interest (Boltanski 2013a)....
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...Apart from situations involving critiques, justification is useless’ (Boltanski 2013a: 34)....
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...Rousseau’s notion of the ‘general will’ is something of a template for Boltanski’s notions of cités and institutions (see Boltanski 2013a)....
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...In fact, he argued that his investigations into disputation revealed strong similarities between the manner in which subjects formulate criticisms and the format of the critical sociologists’ critiques of injustice and domination (Boltanski 2013a)....
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...According to Boltanski (2011, 2013a), the category of action can only be meaningfully applied to situations in which actors can potentially pursue different options and alternatives....
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Book Chapter•DOI•

A Journey Through French-Style Critique

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Luc Boltanski

07 Feb 2013

19 citations

"The institution of critique and the..." refers background in this paper

...In either case, the practices of critique typically involve claims to demonstrate the effects of forces that are not transparent and arguments for change or redress are presented in the universalistic terms of a general interest (Boltanski 2013a)....
[...]
...Apart from situations involving critiques, justification is useless’ (Boltanski 2013a: 34)....
[...]
...Rousseau’s notion of the ‘general will’ is something of a template for Boltanski’s notions of cités and institutions (see Boltanski 2013a)....
[...]
...In fact, he argued that his investigations into disputation revealed strong similarities between the manner in which subjects formulate criticisms and the format of the critical sociologists’ critiques of injustice and domination (Boltanski 2013a)....
[...]
...According to Boltanski (2011, 2013a), the category of action can only be meaningfully applied to situations in which actors can potentially pursue different options and alternatives....
[...]