The Cosmopolitan Imagination: The Renewal of Critical Social Theory: 1
Cambridge University Press, 10/8/2009
EAN 9780521695459, ISBN10: 0521695457
Paperback, 308 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
Gerard Delanty provides a comprehensive assessment of the idea of cosmopolitanism in social and political thought which links cosmopolitan theory with critical social theory. He argues that cosmopolitanism has a critical dimension which offers a solution to one of the weaknesses in the critical theory tradition: failure to respond to the challenges of globalization and intercultural communication. Critical cosmopolitanism, he proposes, is an approach that is not only relevant to social scientific analysis but also normatively grounded in a critical attitude. Delanty's argument for a critical, sociologically oriented cosmopolitanism aims to avoid, on the one hand, purely normative conceptions of cosmopolitanism and, on the other, approaches that reduce cosmopolitanism to the empirical expression of diversity. He attempts to take cosmopolitan theory beyond the largely Western context with which it has generally been associated, claiming that cosmopolitan analysis must now take into account non-Western expressions of cosmopolitanism.
Introduction
1. The rise and decline of classical cosmopolitanism
2. Contemporary cosmopolitanism and social theory
3. Global ethics, solidarity and the problem of violence
4. Cosmopolitan citizenship and the post-sovereign state
5. Multiculturalism from a cosmopolitan perspective
6. Religion in a cosmopolitan society
7. Cosmopolitanism, modernity and global history
8. Cosmopolitanism and European political community
9. Europe as a borderland
10. Conclusion
intercultural dialogue in a post-western world.
'Dunning has produced a useful and remarkably accessible guide for social scientists of all sorts. I especially like his guide to discovering natural experiments.' J. D. Angrist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
'One of the most exciting developments in contemporary political science is the use of natural experiments to estimate causal effects. In this illuminating and highly readable book, Thad Dunning provides an expert guide to the strengths and weaknesses of this cutting-edge method, demonstrating how researchers can use natural experiments as a powerful tool for causal inference while avoiding common mistakes. I recommend this book to both beginning and experienced researchers.' Alan S. Gerber, Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Political Science, Yale University
'The biggest problem social scientists face is figuring out what causes what. Does economic growth cause peace or is it the other way round? Do people adopt the values of their friends or just gravitate to others that think like them? Most of the time these questions are unanswerable but every now and then there's a chink in nature's armor. A windfall or crisis throws an economy off course, a fire or flood forces people into new social networks. Natural experimentalists seek out such moments to shine a light on underlying orders. But, as Dunning shows, the natural experimentalist's path is treacherous. In this first serious treatment of natural experiments in social science, Dunning sets down standards and shares techniques to help ensure real learning from such rare moments.' Macartan Humphreys, Columbia University
'A remarkable synthesis not just of how to do empirical work, but how to do social science. Indispensable.' James Robinson, David Florence Professor of Government, Harvard University