José Maurício Domingues

Social creativity, collective subjectivity and contemporary modernity

Nature, social systems and collective causality action and movement, memory and social creativity the logic of scientific research evolution and history modernity, tradition and reflexivity in contemporary Brazil the forms of co-ordination of the economy dialectics and modernity, autonomy and solidarity by way of conclusion - critical theory at the turn of the century.

Modernity and Modernizing Moves Latin America in Comparative Perspective

Some of the most promising advances in recent social and sociological theory have happened in connection with historical sociology, including the ‘multiple’ or ‘entangled’ modernity as well as the civilizational approaches, despite their several problems. This article critically resumes this debate, proposing specific conceptualizations of civilization and modernity, at the global level, as well as of regions. Multidimensionality and collective subjectivities and modernizing moves cut across the whole text. The discussion starts from a specific analysis of Latin American modernity, including the criticism of some recent interpretations. It then moves into more general conceptual dimensions, taking Latin America in unitary terms and as a unit of analysis, regardless of its relative internal heterogeneity, and placing of the subcontinent within a comparative view of, in particular, a third, contemporary phase of modernity, vis-à-vis China, India, Africa and other civilizational coordinates.

Beyond the centre: The third phase of modernity in a globally compared perspective

This article develops an argument about what it defines as the ‘third phase of modernity’ and tackles, in a comparative manner, the cases of Latin America (especially Brazil), South Asia (especially India) and China. It tries to identify specific modernizing moves which imply individualizing comparisons as well as encompassing comparisons in relation to these areas and countries. It builds its argument from a few theoretical assumptions and moves in an inductive manner in order to dislocate the discussion of modernity from its strong referents in the West and the conceptual definitions that stem from this. The article tries also to connect the discussion of modernity to debates about development. It proposes a multidimensional approach and analyzes the main dimensions of contemporary modernity and modernizing moves in those regions and countries.

Global modernity and social contestation

Introduction - Breno Bringel & Jose Mauricio Domingues PART I: RETHINKING MODERNITY THROUGH SOCIAL CONTESTATION Chapter 1: Modernity and Critique - Elements of a World-Sociology - Peter Wagner Chapter 2: The Global Transition and the Challenge to Social Sciences - Sujata Patel Chapter 3: Modernity and the Violence of Global Accumulation - The Ethnic Question in China - Chun Lin Chapter 4: Demystifying Modernity - In Defence of a Singular and Normative Ideal - G. Aloysius Chapter 5: Vicissitudes and Potentialities of Critical Theory - Jose Mauricio Domingues PART II: RETHINKING SOCIAL CONTESTATION THROUGH MODERNITY Chapter 6: The Global Age - A Social Movement Perspective - Geoffrey Pleyers Chapter 7: Social Movements and Contemporary Modernity - Internationalism and Patterns of Global Contestation - Breno Bringel Chapter 8: Global Modernity, Social Criticism and the Local Intelligibility of Contestation in Mozambique - Elisio Macamo Chapter 9: Globalised Modernity, Contestations and Revolutions - The Cases of Egypt and Tunisia - Sarah ben Nefissa Chapter 10: Modernity, Cultural Diversity and Social Contestation - Luis Tapia PART III: BORDERS OF MODERNITY AND FRONTIERS OF EXCLUSION - RIGHTS, CITIZENSHIP AND CONTESTATION IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Chapter 11: Half-Positions and Social Contestation - On the Dynamics of Exclusionary Integration - Craig Browne Chapter 12: Abyssal Lines and Contestation in the Construction of Modern Europe - A De-colonial Perspective of the Spanish Case - Heriberto Cairo & Keina Espineira Chapter 13: From International Legality to Local Struggle - How and Why Human Rights Matters to Social Movements in Argentine Democracy - Gabriela Delamata Chapter 14: Social Contestation and Substantive Citizenship - Popular Mobilization in South Africas Modern State - Marcelle Dawson

Revisitando Germani: a interpretação da modernidade e a teoria da ação

The work of Italian-German sociologist Gino Germani has traditionally been classified as functionalist. However, recent studies have tended to change this perspective, emphasizing other important influences in his work. Against the backdrop of his broader theory, the objective of this article is to analyze, on the one hand, his perception, in the Latin American transition to modernity, of freedom as the essential issue in politics and daily life, and on the other, how this translates into a theory of action that remains overlooked, although only recently have equivalents been found in Sociology, with his theory being more advanced in certain aspects than contemporary proposals in this direction.

Social memory, social creativity and collective subjectivity

Social memory and social creativity are the two processes whereby social systems are reproduced and change without teleology. Social memory, with its ideal features but also its material embodiments, must have the collective dimension brought out, without detriment to the shifting and personalized ways with which individuals deal with it. It provides the patterns for the structuring of social life in the hermeneutic-cognitive and in the material, as well as in the space-time dimension. Social creativity is responsible for the introduction of innovations in daily life and in history. Creativity is to a great extent rooted in the fluid unconscious of individuals, but demands rational thinking to achieve greater impact upon social life. Immersed in undetermined social interactions, individual action is mediated by variably (de)centred collective subjectivities that possess a specific property, namely collective causality. Social creativity thus develops in both the individual and the collective dimensions.

Global modernity: Levels of analysis and conceptual strategies

This article tackles some methodological issues in sociological theory, in particular as a way to resume the discussion of modernity with a systematic intent. Descriptions and descriptive concepts are distinguished from middle-range analytical categories, which are distinguished from general analytical categories. History and evolution are also included methodologically in the analysis. Trend-concepts, which imply the development of some features of modernity in the long run, have not been adequately dealt with by sociology recently, so their status therefore remains undefined. It is these that offer the focus of this article. This is discussed initially in general terms, and the theme is then deepened through an analysis of secularization processes, drawing on the concept of collective subjectivity in order to take the discussion beyond individual action and structural-functional features. Analytical concepts receive pride of place in the methodological strategies suggested in the article.

Sociologia da cultura, memória e criatividade social

Social memory and social creativity are the two processes by which social systems are reproduced and change without teleology. The collective dimension of social memory, which displays both ideal elements and material forms, should be underscored, without, however, disregarding the changeable, personalized ways individuals can deal with this memory. Social memory provides patterns for structuring social life in its hermeneutic-cognitive, material, and spatial-temporal dimensions. Social creativity is responsible for the innovations introduced in daily life and history. While creativity is to a large extent rooted in the fluid unconscious of individuals, it requires rational thought to achieve greater impact on social life. Immersed in indeterminate social interactions, social action is mediated by variably (de)centered collective subjectivities that have a specific property, that is, collective causality. Social creativity is thus developed at both levels, individual and collective.

Democratic theory and democratization in contemporary Brazil and beyond1

Universalism and particularism have become poles of modern social thought and lead to distinct definitions of democracy, citizenship, and social policy. Challenging Habermas and the Habermasians, this article argues that democracy can never be identified with domination. Meanwhile, contesting Chatterjee and Foucault, the author reaffirms citizenship and law in their various forms in relation to both bounded and unbounded serialities as the basis for democracy, beyond and despite governmentality. Latin America, and especially Brazil, with processes that check state domination and have implied democratizing changes, provide the empirical focus for the discussion, albeit mediated by other countries, particularly India.

The City Rationalization and freedom in Max Weber

Webers piece on the development of the north-European Western city has not commanded attention in the recent theoretical literature. This article argues that it can however provide fresh insights into some key problems of Weber’s diagnosis of modernity and into his general sociological theory, especially as to his theory of action and creativity. A more open-ended conception of modernity can be gained from its analysis, which is more compatible with Weber’s own methodological assumptions. A different relationship between freedom and rationality may be derived as a theoretical and political consequence from the discussion of The City.