The Idea of Crisis in Modern Society

Crisis has become such an all-pervasive rhetorical metaphor that its analytical utility for contemporary social thought has become devalued and confused. The normalisation of a sense of crisis has however blurred the conventional distinction between crisis as a decisive moment in the resolution of a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The British journal of sociology 1987-12, Vol.38 (4), p.502-520
Main Author: Holton, R. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Capitalism
Crises
Critical theory
Enlightenment
General studies
Morality
Normativity
Pathology
Philosophy
Philosophy of history. Social and political philosophy. Philosophy of law
Social and political philosophy
Social evolution
Social organization. Social system. Social structure
Social Theories
Socialism
Sociology
Theory Formation
Universalism
Utopias
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Crisis has become such an all-pervasive rhetorical metaphor that its analytical utility for contemporary social thought has become devalued and confused. The normalisation of a sense of crisis has however blurred the conventional distinction between crisis as a decisive moment in the resolution of a narrative or illness and normality. This paper responds to this 'crisis in crisis theory' by reaffirming the distinction between crisis and normality. Starting out from the axiom that only subjects can be involved in crisis, a number of reasons are presented for the pervasiveness of crisis-talk, hinging on a western loss of faith in European Enlightenment rationalism. Attention then shifts from problems of cultural meaning to the development of a modern sociology of crisis within the system-theories of Parsons and Habermas. This enterprise involves an approach to crisis and crisis-resolution in terms of problems of social differentiation and institutionalisation. The delimited accounts of crisis that emerge are capable of distinguishing between crisis and normality, while yet retaining a critical sense of the provisionality and problematic nature of the 'normal'. They are therefore more compatible with the politics of this-worldly social reform than other-worldly utopianism.
ISSN:0007-1315
1468-4446
DOI:10.2307/590914