Wiebke Keim

Counterhegemonic currents and internationalization of sociology: Theoretical reflections and an empirical example

This article deals with the position of the Southern sociologies within the discipline. The role and presence of local, national and regional scholarly communities has been widely reflected on in the context of the discussion around internationalization or globalization of the discipline. Thus, a variety of critiques of ‘Eurocentrism’, or more precisely, ‘North Atlantic domination’, have arisen in recent years that can be strengthened by empirical evidence of strong inequalities and distorted communication mechanisms within sociology at an international level. What has been largely missing so far is the demonstration of viable alternatives to North Atlantic domination, as well as enquiries into the conditions of their emergence. This article offers a different perspective by highlighting counterhegemonic currents emerging out of the South despite the peripheral position, i.e. by drawing attention towards challenging scholarly communities and their output that have not received much, if any, attention in the discussions so far.

Vermessene Disziplin. Zum konterhegemonialen Potential afrikanischer und lateinamerikanischer Soziologien

Im Weltmasstab gesehen erscheinen die afrikanischen und lateinamerikanischen Sozialwissenschaften als peripher. Doch entstehen hier aus der Auseinandersetzung mit lokal relevanten gesellschaftlichen Fragestellungen originelle, eigenstandige Bereiche der soziologischen Forschung und Lehre, die als konterhegemoniale Stromungen konzeptualisiert werden. An der Schnittstelle von Wissenschaftssoziologie und Globalisierungsforschung verbindet dieser Band theoretische und empirische Perspektiven auf Entwicklungen und Positionierungen der »Soziologien des Sudens« und ist ein Gewinn fur alle, die sich kritisch mit dem Eurozentrismus der Sozialwissenschaften befassen.

Conceptualizing ‘precarious prosperity’: Empirical and theoretical elements for debate:

Empirical studies have recently pointed towards a socio-structural category largely overlooked in social inequality research: the dynamic positions of households adjacent to those of the poor and yet not representing those of the established, more prosperous positions in society. These results suggest that the population in this category fluctuates into and out of poverty more often than moving into and out of secure prosperity. This category — still lacking theoretical conceptualization — is characterized by both precariousness and a certain degree of prosperity; despite a restricted and uncertain living standard it holds a range of opportunities for action. We seek analytical elements to conceptualize ‘precarious prosperity’ for comparative empirical research by subjecting various concepts of social inequality research to critical scrutiny. We then operationally define ‘precarious prosperity’ to screen for this population in three countries. Based on qualitative interviews with households in precarious prosperity, we present first analyses of perceptions and household strategies that underline the relevance of the concept in different countries.

Islamization of Knowledge – Symptom of the Failed Internationalization of the Social Sciences?

ABSTRACT The internationalization of the social sciences, understood as the increasing circulation of people, ideas and materials, has been accompanied by critiques of material and power differentials and of theoretical and epistemological Eurocentrism. Within this context of debate, Islamization of knowledge (IOK) appears as an alternative epistemology. After a brief historical account of IOK’s international institutionalization, the paper focuses on one key institution, the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), where interviews were conducted with key protagonists of IOK. Analyses of these interviews reveal that IOK has been symptomatic of the failed aspects of the internationalization of the social sciences. To overcome the current state of affairs, proponents suggest three different projects for universalization of the social sciences. The paper concludes with a critical appraisal of these projects’ significance for sociology and hints at potential epistemological fractures within the discipline.