Abstract
Chapter 1 argued that the study of global injustice symbols and global social movements is sociologically important because it enables an empirically grounded discussion of global society. This reflects the Durkheimian foundation of the book, which indicates that the analysis of symbols is, fundamentally, an analysis of society. Symbols and society are closely connected because the former are carriers of collectively held values and meanings about right and wrong, good and bad, desirable and undesirable. As such symbols are, at least potentially, highly political. In a dialectical fashion symbols are both the outcome of politics and ideational resources employed in politics. This understanding has been a focal point in all the preceding case studies. It has been a guiding assumption of the book that it is possible to study symbolic processes not only at the local and national level, which were Durkheim’s analytical levels, but at the global level as well. Hopefully, the case studies have convincingly demonstrated the feasibility and usefulness of such an approach. Of course, we cannot simply infer from the book’s cases that a global society exists. The concluding section of each of the case chapters thus emphasizes a number of themes that motivate critique and problematization. This chapter attempts to balance the various threads laid out in the book in order to assess the realities and limitations of global society.
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© 2015 Thomas Olesen
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Olesen, T. (2015). A Global Society?. In: Global Injustice Symbols and Social Movements. Cultural Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137481177_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137481177_6
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-50279-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-48117-7
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social Sciences CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)