| Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools. |
Re-inventing the Social ContractUniversity of Helsinki, Finland, pekka.sulkunen{at}helsinki.fi The sociological concept of `society' has been questioned in multiple ways in recent decades. However, one central aspect of the notion has been taken so much for granted that no one has challenged it: society is not a plan and cannot be based on an agreement. Yet contemporary societies increasingly rely on voluntary contracts between individuals, groups, organizations, enterprises, states and their organs or officials. In this article, I argue that new contractualism cannot be explained simply as an expansion of the market at the expense of the state. The contract is an illusion that disguises relations of domination as voluntary partnership. It stresses agency to a point where autonomy is not only granted to but demanded of even those who have little or no capacity for it. The illusion of the contract has real consequences on how societies are governed and how they relate to each other. This is the reason why the concept of society no longer has the sense of an entity. Consequently, sociology has turned from a study of societies to a study of practices. The term hexicology is suggested for this new orientation.
Key Words: contract • Durkheim • governance • hexicology • public management • Spencer • society welfare state
Acta Sociologica, Vol. 50, No. 3,
325-333 (2007) |
|||
 |
|
|
 |
|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
