Description

For this year’s public lecture on ‘sociological imagination for the 21^st century’ of the Department of Sociology at Ghent university, Volker Schmidt (Professor of Sociology, National University of Singapore) will share his reflections in the lecture entitled ‘Political Society: Meaning, Expectations, and Limitations’. As we experience again and again, the nation-state is not capable of meeting the many expectations with which it is confronted.  The ensuing disappointment with the political system is avoidable if we could rethink our concept of society. We need to overcome the parochialism built into the idea of the nation-state society and gain a more realistic understanding of what even the strongest and most benign states can accomplish. Various examples will be given to illustrate how this society plays out against the still dominant idea of the nation-state.

After this lecture, the Department of Sociology invites you to join us for a post-lecture discussion over drinks.