Piotr Sztompka's Books

Agency and Structure (RLE Social Theory)

Reorienting Social Theory

By: Piotr Sztompka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Agency and Structure (RLE Social Theory)

Reorienting Social Theory

By: Piotr Sztompka

A striking feature of the human condition is its dual, contradictory, inherently split character; on the one hand, autonomy and freedom; on the other, constraint and dependence on social structure. This volume addresses this central problem of the linkage between human action and social structure in sociological and social science theory. Contributions cover several different approaches to the agency-structure problematic, and represent the work of a number of leading international sociologists. Their efforts point to a reorientation of social theory, both on philosophical and methodological levels.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

295

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1317652584

ISBN 13

9781317652588

Rethinking Progress

Movements, Forces, and Ideas at the End of the Twentieth Century

By: Jeffrey C. Alexander,Piotr Sztompka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Rethinking Progress

Movements, Forces, and Ideas at the End of the Twentieth Century

By: Jeffrey C. Alexander,Piotr Sztompka

Rethinking Progress provides a challenging reevaluation of one of the crucial ideas of Western civilization; the notion of progress. Progress often seems to have become self-defeating, producing ecological deserts, overpopulated cities, exhausted resources, decaying cultures, and widespread feelings of alienation. The contributors, from all over the world, present their diversified perspectives on the fate of progress.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

271

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1134997892

ISBN 13

9781134997893

Society in Action

The Theory of Social Becoming

By: Piotr Sztompka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Society in Action

The Theory of Social Becoming

By: Piotr Sztompka

In Society in Action, Piotr Sztompka sets forth a highly topical contribution to central theoretical debates of contemporary sociology. Taking the idea and practice of collective mobilization as his theme, Sztompka argues that modern institutions, particularly of late, are characterized by an increasing awareness of collective empowerment. The most obvious concrete expression of this phenomenon, as Sztompka makes clear, is the rise of a diversity of active social movements such as those which dramatically transformed Europe in the 1980s, from the birth of Solidarity in 1980 to the 1989 "Autumn of Nations." Sztompka connects the interpretations of such collective activity to a wider grasp of the nature of social action. The result is a comprehensive and original theory of social change which focuses on the self-transforming influence on society of its members' striving for freedom, autonomy, and self-fulfillment. He develops his theory by means of a general concept of "social becoming," the roots of which he traces to the early romantic and humanist work of Karl Marx and his followers and to two influential sociological schools of today, the theory of agency and historical sociology. Sztompka situates his theory midway between the rigid determinism of social totalities and the unbridled voluntarism of free individuals. Social change, he demonstrates, can be understood neither as the outcome of individual actions taken alone nor as structurally determined actions. Instead, he confers upon social organizations and movements a "self-transcending" quality: they express human agency yet, by virtue of their active character, are quite often able to achieve unpredictable outcomes. Throughout his analysis of social movements and revolutions in history, Sztompka emphasizes the dynamics of spontaneous social change generated from below—a theoretical testimony to the rapid and fundamental social change in Eastern Europe in recent history. Against the fashions of postmodernist malaise, boredom, and disenchantment, his theory of social becoming expresses the possibility of emancipation, of change leading to positive gains. His work registers a belief in progress, not inevitably gained, but its attainment fully dependent upon the creativity and optimism of an active citizenry.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

236

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226788156

ISBN 13

9780226788159

Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity

By: Jeffrey C. Alexander,Ron Eyerman,Bernard Giesen,Neil J. Smelser,Piotr Sztompka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Cultural Trauma and Collective Identity

By: Jeffrey C. Alexander,Ron Eyerman,Bernard Giesen,Neil J. Smelser,Piotr Sztompka

In this collaboratively authored work, five distinguished sociologists develop an ambitious theoretical model of "cultural trauma"—and on this basis build a new understanding of how social groups interact with emotion to create new and binding understandings of social responsibility. Looking at the "meaning making process" as an open-ended social dialogue in which strikingly different social narratives vie for influence, they outline a strongly constructivist approach to trauma and apply this theoretical model in a series of extensive case studies, including the Nazi Holocaust, slavery in the United States, and September 11, 2001.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

334

Publisher

Univ of California Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0520936760

ISBN 13

9780520936768

Sociological Dilemmas

Toward a Dialectic Paradigm

By: Piotr Sztompka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Sociological Dilemmas

Toward a Dialectic Paradigm

By: Piotr Sztompka

Sociological Dilemmas: Toward a Dialectic Paradigm aims to build a new paradigm in sociological theory by using the method of dialectical critique, patterned on the approach utilized by Karl Marx. The book explores the sociological heritage, with the theoretical works of Karl Marx as the primary basis of exposition and analysis. Chapters are devoted to the discussion of the theoretical crisis of sociology; the division of sociology between two opposing methodologies; dissociation of sociology from the prescientific traditions of social thought; and the conclusion reached by the author after an extensive analysis of sociological theories presented in the book. The book will be of value to sociologists, teachers, and students of the social sciences.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

381

Publisher

Elsevier

Published Date

ISBN 10

1483260364

ISBN 13

9781483260365

Trust

A Sociological Theory

By: Piotr Sztompka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Trust

A Sociological Theory

By: Piotr Sztompka

Piotr Sztompka here presents a major work of social theory, which gives a comprehensive theoretical account of trust as a fundamental component of human actions. Professor Sztompka s detailed and systematic study takes account of the rich evolving research on trust, and provides conceptual and typological clarifications and explications of the notion itself, its meaning, foundations and functions. He offers an explanatory model of the emergence (or decay) of trust-cultures, and relates the theoretical to the historical by examining the collapse of communism in 1989 and the emergence of a post-communist social order. Piotr Sztompka illustrates and supports his claims with statistical data and his own impressive empirical study of trust, carried out in Poland at the end of the nineties. Trust: A Sociological Theory is a conceptually creative and elegant work in which scholars and students of sociology, political science and social philosophy will find much of interest.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

240

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521598508

ISBN 13

9780521598507

Public Health

The Social and Ecological Dimension

By: Jacek Czepiel,Alicja Domagała,Mariusz Duplaga,Tomasz Grodzicki,Janusz Hałuszka,Grażyna Jasieńska,Justyna Klingemann,Iwona Kowalska-Bobko,Andrzej Ryś,Monika Ścibor,Marzena Tambor,Beata Tobiasz-Adamczyk,Piotr Tyszko

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Public Health

The Social and Ecological Dimension

In Poland, for almost three decades, education in the field of public health has been provided in medical universities with the aim of creating an expert workforce to ensure appropriate action in this area. The book draws on the experience and knowledge of teachers associated with the School of Public Health of the Jagiellonian University – undoubtedly a leading institution in the country in this area – but experts from other centres also were invited in order to provide content of an appropriately high quality. (...) The textbook on public health, edited by professor Stanisława Golinowska, is highly recommended not only to medical university students, but also to all persons involved in health protection activities in Poland. For all interested in public health, this is must-read. Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong, MD, Medical University of Warsaw This textbook perfectly addresses the health challenges of the contemporary stage of civilization development in which public health is becoming an extremely complex and at the same time, dynamically evolving field. The scope of the textbook is clearly defined and its division into chapters and within them, into sections dedicated to specific issues, facilitates the search for the required content. The textbook also provides a wholesome understanding of public health, which covers the theoretical foundations, an overview of problems and challenges, as well as a description of the tools used both in research and in public policy at multiple levels: global, European, national and local. Prof. Andrzej M. Fal, Wrocław Medical University, President of the Polish Society of Public Health

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

966

Publisher

Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar

Published Date

ISBN 10

8367450655

ISBN 13

9788367450652

Art and Democracy in Post-Communist Europe

By: Piotr Piotrowski

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Art and Democracy in Post-Communist Europe

By: Piotr Piotrowski

When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, Eastern Europe saw a new era begin, and the widespread changes that followed extended into the world of art. Art and Democracy in Post-Communist Europe examines the art created in light of the profound political, social, economic, and cultural transformations that occurred in the former Eastern Bloc after the Cold War ended. Assessing the function of art in post-communist Europe, Piotr Piotrowski describes the changing nature of art as it went from being molded by the cultural imperatives of the communist state and a tool of political propaganda to autonomous work protesting against the ruling powers. Piotrowski discusses communist memory, the critique of nationalism, issues of gender, and the representation of historic trauma in contemporary museology, particularly in the recent founding of contemporary art museums in Bucharest, Tallinn, and Warsaw. He reveals the anarchistic motifs that had a rich tradition in Eastern European art and the recent emergence of a utopian vision and provides close readings of many artists—including Ilya Kavakov and Krzysztof Wodiczko—as well as Marina Abramovic’s work that responded to the atrocities of the Balkans. A cogent investigation of the artistic reorientation of Eastern Europe, this book fills a major gap in contemporary artistic and political discourse.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

314

Publisher

Reaktion Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1861899319

ISBN 13

9781861899316

The Politicization of Social Divisions in Post-War Poland

By: Piotr Borowiec

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Politicization of Social Divisions in Post-War Poland

By: Piotr Borowiec

The monograph examines the sources of Polish social divisions. It explains their emergence and discusses the mechanisms behind their evolution from 1945-2022. The findings corroborate the idea that divisions were formed irrespective of the current state of social hierarchy, or the accepted interpretation of justice, and that they existed both in totalitarian and democratic systems alike. The book distinguishes the category of divisions from the practices of repartition, and demonstrates that the repartitions discussed in a political discourse do not generate divisions, but constitute the politicization of the latter. Repartitions are understood as discursive, dichotomic juxtapositions that result from the existence of divisions and can be used as political tools. It has been demonstrated that they can also function as analytical categories used with a view to determining the state of social inequalities. The notions of divisions and repartitions discussed in this volume confirm the existence of the continuity of changes and describe the evolution of Polish society has a consequence.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

261

Publisher

Springer Nature

Published Date

ISBN 10

3031265300

ISBN 13

9783031265303

Integrated Management Systems

By: Marek Bugdol,Piotr Jedynak

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Integrated Management Systems

By: Marek Bugdol,Piotr Jedynak

Examining the challenges of integrated management, this book explores the importance and potential benefits of using an integrated approach as a cross-functional concept of management. It covers not only standardized management systems (e.g. International Organization for Standardization), but also models of self-assessment, as well as different types of integration. Furthermore, it demonstrates how processes and systems can be integrated, and how management efficiency can be increased. The major part of this book focuses on management concepts which use integration as a key tool of management processes (e.g. the systematic approach, supply chain management, virtual and network organizations, processes management and total quality management). Case studies, illustrations, and tables are also provided to exemplify and illuminate the content, as well as examples of successful and failed integrations. Providing a particularly useful resource to managers and specialists involved in the improvement of organizational performance, this book is also intended for top managers, functional managers, project managers, specialists, consultants, and those who wish to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of management. It also offers a helpful guide to academics and students interested in quality and risk management.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

199

Publisher

Springer

Published Date

ISBN 10

3319100289

ISBN 13

9783319100289

Comparing Grief in French, British and Canadian Great War Fiction (1977-2014)

By: Anna Branach-Kallas,Piotr Sadkowski

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Comparing Grief in French, British and Canadian Great War Fiction (1977-2014)

By: Anna Branach-Kallas,Piotr Sadkowski

Comparing Grief in French, British and Canadian Great War Fiction (1977-2014) offers a comparative analysis of twenty-three First World War novels. Engaging with such themes as war trauma, facial disfigurement, women’s war identities, communal bonds, as well as the concepts of mourning and post-memory, Anna Branach-Kallas and Piotr Sadkowski identify the dominant trends in recent French, British and Canadian fiction about the Great War. Referring to historical, sociological, philosophical and literary sources, they show how, by both consolidating and contesting national myths, fiction continues to construct the 1914-1918 conflict as a cultural trauma, illuminating at the same time some of our most recent ethical concerns.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

259

Publisher

BRILL

Published Date

ISBN 10

9004364781

ISBN 13

9789004364783

Politics and the Theory of Spontaneous Order

By: Piotr Szafruga

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Politics and the Theory of Spontaneous Order

By: Piotr Szafruga

The theory of spontaneous order conceptualises and explains a number of institutional and social phenomena that are not an intended effect of either individual decisions or a collective consensus but an unplanned outcome of interactions between people pursuing their own aims. Drawing on these insights, this book demonstrates the utility of the theory of spontaneous order in explaining many phenomena in political economy and political science. The book opens with a discussion of the history and development of the theory of spontaneous order, particularly in economics and the Austrian School. The epistemological premises of the theory are then explored including the formulation of the central idea of social individualism. Demonstrating the potential applications of the theory of spontaneous order to politics, core ideas are examined including democracy, fragile states and the concept of the veil of ignorance. Finally, the limitations and constraints of the theory of spontaneous order are also reviewed and discussed. This book marks a valuable contribution to the literature on political economy, political science, public choice and political philosophy.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

160

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000376818

ISBN 13

9781000376814

Christian Economic Heterodoxy

The Protestant Critique of Capitalism

By: Piotr Kopiec,Marcin Składanowski,Przemysław Kantyka

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Christian Economic Heterodoxy

The Protestant Critique of Capitalism

By: Piotr Kopiec,Marcin Składanowski,Przemysław Kantyka

This volume could be written differently. It could present the Protestant theological view on the economy from Luther, Zwingli and Calvin until contemporary prominent theologians. Or it could be a description of the teaching of one of the Protestant Churches or denomination. Or it could be an investigation of the traces of Protestant theology in the contemporary prevailing economic order. All such presentations could be hugely interesting and accurate – and they would be reasonable in light of the most critical questions of today's world. However, the authors would propose a different approach that is not disjunctive, contrasting or opposing to the above-mentioned and that instead wants to reveal new trends and processes occurring in the Protestant world and bringing a new, more critical view on capitalism and its offspring, such as consumptionism.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

217

Publisher

Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht

Published Date

ISBN 10

3647500895

ISBN 13

9783647500898

Dissident Legacies of Samizdat Social Media Activism

Unlicensed Print Culture in Poland 1976-1990

By: Piotr Wciślik

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Dissident Legacies of Samizdat Social Media Activism

Unlicensed Print Culture in Poland 1976-1990

By: Piotr Wciślik

This book tells the story of the dissident imaginary of samizdat activists, the political culture they created, and the pivotal role that culture had in sustaining the resilience of the oppositional movement in Poland between 1976 and 1990. This unlicensed print culture has been seen as one of the most emblematic social worlds of dissent. Since the Cold War, the audacity of harnessing obsolete print technology known as samizdat to break the modern monopoly of information of the party-state has fascinated many, yet this book looks beyond the Cold War frame to reappraise its historical novelty and significance. What made that culture resilient and rewarding, this book argues, was the correspondence between certain set of ideas and media practices: namely, the form of samizdat social media, which both embodied and projected the prefigurative philosophy of political action, asserting that small forms of collective agency can have a transformative effect on public life here and now, and are uniquely capable of achieving a democratic new beginning. This prefigurative vision of the transition from communism had a fundamental impact on the broader oppositional movement. Yet, while both the rise of Solidarity and the breakthrough of 1989 seemed to do justice to that vision, both pivotal moments found samizdat social media activists making history that was not to their liking. Back in the day, their estrangement was overshadowed by the main axis of contention between the society and the state. Foregrounding the internal controversies they protagonized, this book adds nuance to our understanding of the broader legacy of dissent and its relevance for the networked protests of today.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

258

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000417921

ISBN 13

9781000417920

The New Age of Management

By: Piotr Maśloch

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The New Age of Management

By: Piotr Maśloch

The monograph "The New Age of Management” is a response to the changing environment of business operations and management in the era of modern globalization challenges. The global surrounding of management embedded in the complex national and wider international context drives the development of new management concepts and paradigms. And in this new global reality of the 21st century which, on the one hand, greatly benefits from scientific and technological achievements and developments, and, on the other hand, has been marked by pandemics, war, and socio-economic crises, modern enterprises are searching for a new direction – in this respect, this monograph should be treated as a specific signpost showing, perhaps not yet a road, but a path to follow.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

219

Publisher

Shineeks Publishers

ISBN 13

9798889409977

Universities, Stakeholders and Social Mission

Building Cooperation Through Action Research

By: Ewa Bogacz-Wojtanowska,Piotr Jedynak,Sylwia Wrona,Anna Pluszyńska

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Universities, Stakeholders and Social Mission

Building Cooperation Through Action Research

By: Ewa Bogacz-Wojtanowska,Piotr Jedynak,Sylwia Wrona,Anna Pluszyńska

Today's universities are confronted with questions about the increasing scale of corporatisation and commercialisation, as well as their decreasing activity in the field of the social mission, i.e., engagement in the real problems of ordinary people, local communities and society at large. As a remedy for this problem, this book proposes using action research as a means of shaping collaboration between universities and their stakeholders, taking into account related benefits, opportunities and challenges. In this context, we understand action research somewhat more broadly, as universities’ conducting useful research that becomes a domain of their social mission. The core message of this volume is the development of a cooperation process in which the university leaves its "ivory tower," builds relationships with its stakeholders and, as a result, engages more effectively in social life. In this book, readers will find an original perspective on action research, the application of which enables mutual benefits for universities and their stakeholders. It presents the authors’ original model of cooperation based on the AR approach and concrete examples of successful cooperation between universities and their stakeholders. Step by step, it illustrates how to initiate cooperation, conduct useful scientific research and together with stakeholders bring about changes in social life. This book will be of value to university managers, academics, students of social, management and economic sciences, as well as managers and specialists employed in organisations from various sectors that may be interested in cooperation with universities. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

160

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000779513

ISBN 13

9781000779516

A Legal Analysis of NGOs and European Civil Society

By: Piotr Staszczyk

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

A Legal Analysis of NGOs and European Civil Society

By: Piotr Staszczyk

Amid widespread awareness and discussion of “the democratic deficit” and “shrinking civil space,” the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) becomes increasingly important. Yet the precise legal status of such bodies is ill-defined. Here, for the first time, is a thorough commentary and analysis of the position of NGOs and European civil society in the European Union (EU) constitutional system, bringing to the fore existing and desirable means of public participation in EU lawmaking. Recognizing that NGOs have historically been designed to meet the ends of civil society, the analysis focuses on the following topics and issues: means in EU law of advocating for the collective interests of civil society; unofficial means of influencing the EU institutions; access to documents and the European Citizens’ Initiative as means of exerting pressure on EU legislation; relations between the EU institutions and NGOs, including lobbying activities; bringing actions in the common good before courts and other institutions; the special role of NGOs in environmental protection; complaints to the Commission and the European Ombudsman; EU funding for NGOs; and transboundary philanthropy. Drawing on a broad spectrum of sources of law, including CJEU case law and relevant legal literature, the book offers insightful proposals leading to the democratization of the EU’s internal procedures that will allow enhanced cooperation of civil society representatives across national borders. In its thorough examination of legal tools that can respond to the “democratic deficit,” this book makes a distinctive contribution to the public debate on the future of the European Union, especially in the context of emerging threats to further integration. It will prove of great value not only to civil activists, academics and policymakers but also to everyone interested in European integration and affordance for social participation.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

471

Publisher

Kluwer Law International B.V.

Published Date

ISBN 10

9403512520

ISBN 13

9789403512525

On the Idea of Humanitarian Intervention

By: Piotr Pietrzak

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

On the Idea of Humanitarian Intervention

By: Piotr Pietrzak

This study launches a systematic inquiry into the nature of the concept of humanitarian intervention, focusing on its primary function of the protection of the endangered civilian populations who find themselves at the grave risk of genocide. This is strengthened by a recollection of selected historical examples of similar events and the responses to them by the international community, empowered by our modern understanding of the principle of state sovereignty, human rights, and anti-genocide legislation. Applying the in-statu-nascendi ontology that accounts for the latest hybridized compartmentalization of various IR-related theories, the author provides a deep ontological inquiry into the nature, origin, and genesis of the idea of humanitarian intervention and opens up a broader debate on the limits of the principle of state sovereignty as well as on the international community’s ignorance of some of the most severe cases of human rights abuses around the world.

Average ratings

N/A