Newsletter of the Norbert Elias Foundation

FIGURATIONS NEWSLETTER HAS CONTENTS GONE DIGITAL

Figurations Newsletter has gone digital 1 As most of you will have already noticed, our newsletter is now distributed electronically People 2 only. The Board of the Norbert Elias Foundation was reluctant to abandon printing, From the Norbert Elias Foundation 2 but in the end financial considerations won out: the cost will be reduced by four-fifths. Robert van Krieken’s YouTube lecture channel Starting with the current issue, subscribers will In the media 2 receive their copy by email, in the form of a PDF file. If you took the trouble to print it out Cooking for Elias 3 two-sided on buff paper, the newsletter will for the moment not look very different from the Figurational Journals online 3 printed version as it appeared from 1994 until now, although we can now use colour photos. Recent books and articles 5 Figurations 45 would normally have been sent Upcoming book publications 12 to you in July, but we have been in the throes of compiling a consolidated email circulation International Sociological Association news 12 list. As well as those on the postal address list, all subscribers to the Norbert Elias Foundation Forthcoming conferences 14 blog will receive this issue of Figurations automatically.

If you wish to change your email address to which the newsletter is delivered, or wish to unsubscribe, please contact our Managing Editor, Barbara Górnicka, at [email protected].

It should be noted that all previous issues of Figurations have long been available as downloadable PDFs, at http://www.norberteliasfoundation.nl/ figurations.php.

Dr Barbara Górnicka Managing Editor

Issue No.45 August 2016 Figurations PEOPLE FROM THE NORBERT New Norbert Elias ELIAS FOUNDATION Foundation website • His Bloody Project by Graeme Burnet, who is the copy-editor Arjan Post appointed Readers may be happy to hear that the for our online journal Human Secretary to the Foundation has put Adrian Jitschin Figurations, is one of 13 novels on Foundation in charge of creating a long-overdue the ‘long list’ for the Man Booker new NEF website, which should be Prize 2016. The Man Booker is completed in the coming months. the premier literary prize in the English-speaking world. Graeme’s novel has been described as a ROBERT VAN KRIEKEN’S ‘masterful psychological thriller’. YOUTUBE LECTURE Film rights and translations are CHANNEL already in the offing, so Graeme says he will celebrate before the Robert van Krieken has established a final prize-winner is announced. YouTube channel for the Introduction His Bloody Project was published to Sociology video lectures he has been by Saraband (Glasgow) in producing: November 2015. https://www.youtube.com/c/ • François Dépelteau has been IntroductiontoSociologyChannel appointed as the new editor of the Canadian Review of Sociology, Robert writes that ‘it is still really a the journal of the Canadian Arjan Post has been appointed prototype, the content is still being Sociological Association (CSA). Secretary to the Foundation in produced, and the links to external Transatlantic and figurational succession to Esther Beijk. material is an experiment. But it contributions are welcome. Arjan (born in 1972) studied conveys the basic idea, which can be cultural sociology at the University developed in any number of ways. My • Ryan Powell is moving from of Amsterdam and works as an ‘vision’ is for a channel that provides Sheffield Hallam University to independent editor for literary genuinely useful pedagogic content that the University of Sheffield, where publishing houses. As a journalist any sociology teacher around the world he has been appointed Reader in he has written many articles and could direct their students towards Urban Studies in the Department interviews on multicultural society and – a kind of a hybrid of a MOOC and for Urban Studies and Planning. its discontents. His thesis, supervised face-to-face teaching practices.’ by Nico Wilterdink, was a follow up • José Esteban Castro, currently to the study Brinkgreve and Korzec Robert has included a playlist of Bart Professor of Sociology at the (1978) carried out on a Dutch advice van Heerikhuizen’s videos from his University of Newcastle upon column (‘Margriet Weet Raad’); it MOOC on Sociological Theory, which Tyne, is moving back to Argentina resulted in articles in the Amsterdams includes a few on Elias. It would be to take a new position at the Sociologisch Tijdschrift (27 (4) 2000) possible to set up something similar National Council for Scientific and – see the summary in Figurations 15 – but focused specifically on Elias and Technical Research (CONICET), a and the Irish Journal of Sociology (13 figurational sociology. The format sort of Argentinian CNRS. He will (2) 2004). Recently he published a would be important: the videos have to be returning to his home country transcription of the lecture Norbert be tight, short, focused and relatively after 26 years abroad, 23 of them Elias gave in Amsterdam on the high energy, to nudge people towards in the UK, but he will retain a occasion of a broad conference in 1984 Elias’s book, events, workshops, and relationship with Newcastle. against racism and discrimination (see so on. If anyone would like to make Human Figurations 5 (1) 2016, also a video lecture of their own on an for an introduction to that lecture). important topic in sociology or on a He is currently working on a study of theme in figurational sociology, please integration conflicts from an Eliasian contact Robert van Krieken (robert.van. perspective, with the working title The [email protected]) to discuss how Integration of Mankind. Civilisation to do that. and Conflict in the Twenty-first Century.

His contact details in the Foundation’s office remain the same: [email protected].

2 Figurations Issue No.45 August 2016 IN THE MEDIA COOKING FOR ELIAS FIGURATIONAL JOURNALS ONLINE Annette Treibel in Münster The Frankfurt society lady Monika lecture series Reichert has published a book entitled Human Figurations: Long- Auch Joyce saß mit am Tisch [‘Joyce term Perspectives on the In the series of lectures in Münster also sat at the table’], about her Human Condition marking the fiftieth anniversary of experience of cooking for VIPs and the Special issue: Social Norbert Elias’s arrival there as Visiting dinners given in the Reichert house. Character, Historical Professor, Annette Treibel’s lecture on Among others, she cooked for Norbert Processes, vol.5. no.2, July 26 January ‘Neue Machtverhältnisse im Elias. 2016: Einwanderungland Deutschland?’ [New http://quod.lib.umich.edu/h/humfig/1 power relationships in immigration Elias was a visiting professor in 1217607.0005.2*?rgn=full+text destination Germany] was reported at Frankfurt in 1977 and he helped some length in the regional newspaper Monika’s husband Klaus with his Steven Loyal, Barbara Górnicka and Westfälische Nachrichten, 26 January. doctoral thesis on Shakespeare. As a Katie Liston, Editor’s introduction: Using the established–outsiders model, mark of gratitude the Reicherts invited ‘Stephen Mennell – The sociable her lecture demonstrated once more him and friends to a dinner that July, character’ how relevant a good theory is to a celebrating Elias’s 80th birthday. The practical and very topical problem. main dish was a country terrine with Johan Goudsblom, ‘Guides on my nuts and chicken liver paté, served with way to Elias’ Interview with Esteban Cumberland sauce. The desserts were Castro on Zika virus Orange mousse and shortbread. Abstract: This paper was originally presented as a speech in honour of Esteban Castro also illustrated the Just in case anyone wants to cook what Stephen Mennell. It consists of an relevance of a broad sociological Elias ate in 1977, here’s the receipt for attempt to reconstruct how, in the understanding to grasping a current shortbread: 1950s, the author as a student of topical problem, in a long interview Ingredients: 50gr. raisins, two social psychology at the University of entitled ‘Poverty and lack of essential tablespoons of Grappa, 400gr. flour, Amsterdam, was made aware of, and water and sanitation systems are 200gr. butter, 150gr sugar, 2 eggs, became enthusiastic about, the work paramount in the outbreak of the Zika baking powder, grated rind of an of Norbert Elias. Who were the people virus’. It can be found on the European orange. who served as links between himself Commission’s Research and Innovation and Elias? This ‘intellectual genealogy’ website. See https://ec.europa.eu/ Soak the raisins in grappa. Blend the is followed by a brief discussion of research/social-sciences/index. flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and how Stephen Mennell has become cfm?pg=newspage&item=160225 eggs, add the raisins, cover with foil, Elias’s most prominent advocate in the and wait for half an hour. Then form English-speaking world. ‘(De)civilising processes, the dough into rolls 1–1.5cm thick, wait music and violence’ another half an hour, then cut the rolls Florence Delmotte, ‘When European in pieces, put them on baking paper on Studies meets The American Civilizing Dillion Tatum advances some novel a tin. Bake for 15 min at 180° C. Process: A short tribute to Stephen J. ideas about the influence of pop Mennell’ music, drawing on Elias and Pinker, For more recipes and a picture of in the online journal E-International the evening see: Monika Reichert: Abstract: This paper proposes a Relations. See: Auch Joyce saß mit am Tisch, oder comparative reading of Stephen http://www.e-ir.info/2016/05/30/ das Lämpchen im Eisschrank: Aus Mennell’s book The American decivilizing-processes-music-and- den Erinnerungen einer Gastgeberin. Civilizing Process (2007) and of experiencing-violence/ (Wiesbaden: Kramer, Waldemar Verlag, some major texts from Norbert 2014). 245 pp. ISBN: 9783737404556. Elias’s political sociology. It is based on personal teaching experience of Jan Haut using this corpus with students in the humanities and law since 2013 in the framework of a course entitled ‘Historical Sociology of European Integration’. The author aims to highlight three dimensions that are innovatively explored in Stephen Mennell’s book and which help to improve the understanding of European political development. The first point concerns the benefits of comparison in

Issue No.45 August 2016 Figurations 3 a long-term comprehensive approach. world politics, and process sociology of ‘functional democratisation’. More The second is related to the sociological helps to explain its development. The recently, in his The American Civilising treatment of political theories and ideas analysis of the ‘standard of civilisation’ Process (2007) and in two articles that is proposed by Stephen Mennell draws attention to the need to broaden (2014a; 2014b), Stephen Mennell in his book and which should be process-sociological analysis to explain launched the contrasting concept of transposed into the political sociology how state formation and conceptions of ‘functional de-democratisation’. This of the European Union, which too civilisation, the rise of overseas empires essay opens with quotations from Elias often counterposes apologetics and and the emergence of the international and Mennell in an attempt to show how Eurosceptic perspectives about society of states shaped long-term the concepts and processes of functional the European project. Finally, The patterns of social and political change (de)democratisation are introduced, American Civilizing Process proposes that have affected humanity as a whole. followed by a discussion from a and explicitly assumes a critical long-term perspective on processes of perspective on the politics of the United Godfried van Benthem van den social differentiation and integration, States that also may inspire political Bergh, ‘Notes on the idea of a nation’ in which I explore how functional reflections on contemporary European democratisation and de-democratisation politics. The author reflects on how it has could fit together as trends and concepts become customary to think of all states in a wider sociological framework. The Nico Wilterdink, ‘American as ‘nations’, a confusion with practical observation that, as a rule, integration exceptionalism? The growth of income consequences. In fact, ‘There are no processes go hand in hand with and wealth inequality in the United states with just “natural” borders’, and integration conflicts and also some States and other Western societies’ while states have become more similar disintegration leads to the hypothesis than different in their organisation, that the trend towards global integration Abstract: The two central questions ‘states do not automatically possess is increasingly lagging behind the trend in this paper are: 1) How to explain a specific identity’. The implications towards the global differentiation of the tendency of increasing income are explored in broad comparative– specialised activities or social functions. and wealth inequality in Western historical perspective. societies since the 1980s? 2) Why is Christien Brinkgreve and Rineke van this tendency particularly strong in Steven Loyal, ‘Bourdieu on the state: Daalen, ‘Sociological reading of diary the USA? It is argued that income An Eliasian critique’ fragments 1940–1945’ and wealth differences in general have increased as a function of Abstract: This paper analyses Abstract: How could people in a growing power differences within Bourdieu’s theory of the state which civilised society like the Netherlands national states, which is related to remained largely implicit in much of go on living, with the horror of the the strengthening of international his writing until the recent publication Second World War around them? This interdependencies. The particularly of his lectures On the State in 2014. is the focal question of our research, strong increase of inequality in the It argues that although there are many on diaries written during the German USA is explained as the result of parallels in their work, including, occupation of the Netherlands, by the dynamics of American politics, for example, a shared conceptual people who are neither perpetrators the history of ethnic and racial nomenclature of habitus and field, nor persecuted. We are especially dividedness, and the pervasiveness of this can sometimes blind us to their interested in processes of identification the individualistic–meritocratic ethos. theoretical and substantive divergences. and dis-identification, in the associated The question is discussed as how to Such differences are especially evident mechanism of compartmentalisation, combine these different explanations. in their respective analyses of the state. physically and psychologically, and It is concluded that the three conditions In this regard I reflect upon Bourdieu’s in the management of emotions. We that together may explain the theory of the state, which critically use these concepts for a sociological ‘American exception’ can be interpreted draws upon Elias’s work, and assess reading of five diary fragments. in terms of the power–interdependence its theoretical and empirical relevance model that is used to explain the overall from an Eliasian perspective. Marta Bucholc, ‘The Polish trend of rising inequality. constitutional crisis 2015–16: A Cas Wouters, ‘Functional figurational perspective’ Andrew Linklater, ‘The “Standard of democratisation and disintegration civilisation” in world politics’ as side-effects of differentiation and Abstract: In this paper, a framework integration processes’ is laid out for an analysis of the Polish Abstract: The ‘standard of civilisation’ constitutional crisis, which started with was used by international lawyers Abstract: In What is Sociology? (2012 the electoral victory of the national- in the nineteenth century to defend [1970]), as he is about to outline the conservative party in Poland in Autumn the Europeans’ right to colonise and common origin of social science 2015, in terms of Norbert Elias’s control non-European societies. The and social ideology, and building up sociological theory. A brief statement concept is one illustration of how the to set sociology against ideology, of the basic facts is followed by an European civilising process influenced Norbert Elias introduces the concept application of the established–outsiders

4 Figurations Issue No.44 February 2016 model, with particular focus on the Andrew Linklater’s The Problem of in the political news and intellectual institutional aspect of the crisis and on Harm in World Politics (Cambridge, debates. Today, the dramas that are the symbolic operations used by the 2011) created a new agenda for the being played out at the borders of new government majority in order to sociology of states-systems. Violence Europe are throwing into question challenge the validity of the legal order and Civilization in the Western States- the very foundations of contemporary set forth by the Polish constitution of Systems builds on the author’s attempts political communities. In this context, 1997. to combine the process-sociological this book is not a plea for or against investigation of civilising processes the opening or the strengthening of and the English School analysis the borders of RECENT BOOKS AND of international society in a higher the nation-state ARTICLES synthesis. Adopting Martin Wight’s type. Noting comparative approach to states-systems the progress of Norbert Elias, J’ai suivi mon and drawing on the sociological work ‘border studies’, propre chemin (Paris: Les éditions of Norbert Elias, Linklater asks how the contributors sociales, 2016). 122 pp. ISBN: modern Europeans came to believe invite the reader 978-2-35367-022-7. themselves to be more ‘civilised’ to take a step than their medieval forebears. He back from a This little book, with an introduction by investigates novel combinations of notion of frontier Antony Burlaud, contains two French violence and civilisation through a that seems translations of addresses given by Elias. broad historical scope from classical almost suffocating, and to do justice antiquity, Latin Christendom and to a variety of meanings and usages The first (pp. 19–91), here entitled Renaissance Italy to the post-Second that make a border. Through their ‘Un parcours dans le siècle’, is the World War era. This book will interest different subjects and thanks to the transcription of what he said in a all students with an interdisciplinary complementarity of their approaches ZDF television programme shortly commitment to investigating long-term – anthropology, sociology, political before his death, mainly in the way of patterns of change in world politics. sociology, European studies and autobiography, especially intellectual political theory – the contributors shed autobiography. The second (pp. light on how communities and their 93–113), ‘Respect and critique’, is borders mutually construct each other. a translation of his Adorno Rede, or address on being the first recipient Gëzim Visoka, Peace Figuration after of the Adorno Prize of the City of International Intervention: Intentions, Frankfurt in 1977. events and consequences of liberal peacebuilding (Abingdon: Routledge, The Adorno Rede was included in both 2016). xii + 195 pp. ISBN: 978-1-138- the Gesammelte Schriften (vol. 14, 93847-2 (hbk); 978-1-315-67563-3 pp. 491–508) and the Collected Works (ebk). (vol. 16, pp. 82–92), but the television interview is not so readily accessible This book examines the adverse other than in the DLA, Marbach. impacts of liberal peacebuilding Details of the television programme are as follows: ‘Zeugen des Jahrhunderts: Norbert Elias im Gespräch mit Hans-Christian Huf’, ZDF Fernsehen (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Mainz, series ‘Zeugen des Jahrhunderts’), broadcast in two parts, 3 July and 24 July 1990. It was recorded in 1988, and re-broadcast on the occasion of Elias’s death on: ÖRF (Österreichischer Florence Delmotte and Denis Duez Rundfunk), SRG (Schweizer (eds), Les frontières et la communauté Fernsehen), and three German channels politique: Faire, défaire et penser (HR, BR, WDR). les frontières [Frontiers and Political Community: Making, Unmaking and Andrew Linklater, Violence and Thinking about Frontiers] (Bruxelles: Civilization in the Western States- Presses de l’Université Saint-Louis, 2016). Systems (Cambridge: Cambridge ISBN: 978-2-8028-0221-1. 249 pp. University Press, 2016). 500 pp. ISBN: 978-1-107-15473-5 (hbk); 978-1-3166- In recent years, the prominence of 0833-3 (pb). topics related to frontiers has soared

Issue No.44 February 2016 Figurations 5 in conflict-affected societies. It a compelling account of the social Abstract: Order is one of those terms introduces ‘peace figuration’ as a new sciences in post-war Central and that have been much talked about analytical framework for studying Eastern Europe. The first English- but never rigorously defined. After a the intentionality, performativity, and language monograph to analyse the critical survey of existing definitions consequences of liberal peacebuilding. history of sociology in Poland up to the of order, I propose a more rigorous The work challenges current theories present day, it maps transformations definition of order. I then develop and views and searches for alternative in the discipline against political a framework for measuring and non-conflicted research avenues and social change. Related in an comparing order. I go on to show that that are suitable for understanding accessible and engaging manner, it without a rigorous definition of order how peacebuilding intentions are offers a comprehensive examination and a proper framework for measuring made, how different events shape of sociology as a part of Polish society and comparing order, a central debate peace outcomes, and what are the and culture after 1945. It can also be regarding order has committed the consequences of peacebuilding used as an introduction to the subject error of conceptual conflation. Finally, interventions. Drawing on detailed and a guide to further reading. Part I illustrate the value of the new case studies of peacebuilding in Bosnia of the influential Palgrave ‘Sociology framework with Norbert Elias’s The and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Timor- Transformed’ series, Sociology in Civilizing Process as a masterpiece on Leste, the book argues that attempts Poland will interest social and political the forging of order. to build peace often fail to achieve the scientists, historians and policymakers. intended outcomes. A figurational view Richard Crisp and Ryan Powell, of peacebuilding interventions shows Paddy Dolan, ‘Adult and child ‘Young people and UK labour market that post-conflict societies experience identities in Irish primary schools, policy: A critique of ‘employability’ multiple episodes of success and failure c.1830–1909’, History of Education: as a tool for understanding youth in an unpredictable trajectory. This Journal of the History of Education unemployment’, Urban Studies (2016). book develops a relational sociology of Society (2016). DOI:10.1080/004 DOI: 0042098016637567. peacebuilding impact, which is crucial 6760X.2015.1136358. for overcoming static measurement of Abstract: This paper presents a peacebuilding successes or failures. It Abstract: Drawing on teaching critical analysis of the contemporary shows that international interventions manuals, government reports and policy focus on promoting can shape peace but, importantly, not school inspectors’ reports from employability among young people always in the shape they intended. the 1830s up to the early twentieth in the UK. Drawing on analysis of This book will be of much interest century, this paper traces the changing UK policy approaches to tackling to students of state-building, conceptual and social distance between youth unemployment since the late peacebuilding, war and conflict studies, childhood and adulthood in Ireland. 1970s, we suggest existing critiques security studies and IR. Using Norbert Elias’s figurational of employability as ‘supply-side approach, it is argued that children orthodoxy’ fail to capture fully its Marta Bucholc, Sociology in Poland became increasingly involved in both evolving meaning and function. Under 2017: To be Continued? (Basingstoke, unplanned civilising processes and the UK Coalition Government, it Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). 111 pp. deliberate civilising missions framed became increasingly colonised as a ISBN: 978-1-1375-8186-0. by state functionaries, religious elites targeted tool of urban governance to This ground-breaking book provides and pedagogic experts. Young children legitimise ever more punitive forms were civilised in the broader context of conditional welfare. We argue of unintentional, but ordered social that this colonisation undermines the processes developing over the course value of the notion of employability of the nineteenth century. While as an academic tool for understanding both pupils and teachers were at first the reasons why young people face addressed and depicted in similar difficulties in entering the labour ways, a growing social and cultural market. The paper suggests that the differentiation between adult and child notion of youth transitions offers more gradually developed. This is related to potential for understanding youth the increasing status of teachers, their unemployment, and that more clearly position as civilising agents of the state, linking this body of research to policy and the gradual acceptance by elites could provide a fruitful avenue for that Irish teachers of humble social future research. Such a shift requires origins had become more emotionally a longer term, spatially informed self-controlled. perspective as well as greater emphasis on the changing power relations that Shiping Tang, ‘Order: A conceptual mediate young people’s experiences analysis’, Chinese Political Science of wider social and economic Review, 1:1 (2016), pp. 30–46. transformations. The paper concludes that promoting employment among

6 Figurations Issue No.45 August 2016 urban young people requires a marked Dunning regarding the weaknesses learning adult behavioural standards as shift to address the historically and of the revisionist case, which has well as job related skills. Yet inevitably, geographically inadequate knowledge sought to lessen the influence of public according to Elias, difficulties arise in and assumptions on which policies are schoolboys on the game’s early years. the transition process as the ‘norms’ based. The authors do, however, offer some of working adults differ considerably Lone Friis Thing, Maria Gliemann correctives to Collins’s thoughts, to those adults the young people Hybholt, Andorra Lynn Jensen and particularly in terms of the complex are already familiar with. Second, Laila Susanne Ottesen, ‘“Football Sheffield footballing subculture. Curry following on from our re-interviews Fitness”: constraining and enabling and Dunning support the need for with a sub-sample of the original 1960s possibilities for the management more research based on local studies respondents, we examine the extent to of leisure time for women’, Annals and attempt to gather together current which the initial predictions for this of Leisure Research (2016). DOI: thinking in this area. group actually came true in terms of 10.1080/11745398.2016.1178153. their early transitional experiences. John Goodwin and Henrietta These interviews reveal that their Abstract: The aim of the article is to O’Connor, ‘From young workers to work histories did not follow exactly identify constraining and enabling older workers: Eliasian perspectives on the linear and smooth trajectories aspects for the management of the transitions to work and adulthood’, predicted for them. Instead, careers leisure time for women participating Belvedere Meridionale, vol. 28 were characterised by greater levels in ‘Football Fitness’, a new ‘sport (2016), available at: http://www. of individual complexity, insecurity, for all programme’ carried out in belvedere-meridionale.hu/wp-content/ multiple ‘transitions’ and ‘critical associative sport clubs in Denmark. uploads/2016/01/2016_tavasz_web%20 moments’ that could not be fully The article is based on six focus %20TELJES.pdf#page=5. explained by family background, social group interviews with white, middle- class or education. We conclude by class female participants (N = 32, Abstract: Since 2000 we have been reflecting on the implications these aged 27–56). An analysis combining undertaking a detailed re-study of two for contemporary research on the Hochschild’s conceptualisation of Norbert Elias’s lost Adjustment of transition from education to work and the second and third shift [The Second Young Workers to Work Situations and by highlighting Elias’s legacy in this Shift (New York: Avon, 1989)] with Adult Roles project from 1962-1964. area. Elias and Dunning’s perspective Our interest in this project began over on leisure as part of the spare-time ten years ago when we rediscovered Michael Dunning, ‘Terrorism and spectrum and leisure sport as a quest 850 interview schedules that had, since civilisation: the case for a relational for excitement [Quest for Excitement: the late 1960s, simply been left in an approach’, Belvedere Meridionale, Sport and Leisure in the Civilising attic office. Led by Elias, the project vol.28 (2016). Available at: http://www. Process (rev. edn, Dublin: UCD Press team interviewed nearly 1000 young belvedere-meridionale.hu/wp-content/ 2008 [1986])] demonstrates that leisure people in Leicester, UK exploring every uploads/2016/01/03_Dunning_ sport participation must be understood aspect of this cohort of young peoples’ BelvedereMeridionale_vol28_2016_01. in relation to both spare time, family lives. What the researchers produced pdf. life, and work life, as these spheres are were detailed interview schedules that interrelated. According to the women, richly documented the experience of Abstract: ‘Terrorism’ has been a both doing and planning housework leaving school in the 1960s. From major staple of news media for several are constraining for their leisure sport the outset it was clear to us that these decades and even more so since the 11 participation. On the other hand, interview schedules, left largely unused September 2001 attacks on the United Football Fitness is enabling in the for over forty years, represented an States. Research on the phenomenon sense that the women experience it extraordinary opportunity to both has grown at an unprecedented rate as something pleasurable and a ‘free revisit the transitional experiences of in recent years. However, most social space’. these young workers and to retrace scientifii c approaches tend to regard some of the original respondents to ‘terrorism’ as having thing-like Graham Curry and Eric Dunning, explore their subsequent lives and properties. In this paper I seek to show ‘The Power Game: continued careers. As Laub and Sampson (2003: that ‘terrorism’ should be approached reflections on the early development 302) suggest, this data afforded us a in a relational and processual way and of modern football’, The International fantastic, if very rare, opportunity to be considered as part of ‘established- Journal of the History of Sport, 33: 3 ‘examine within-individual variability outsider’ relations. In order to do (2016), pp. 239–50. over nearly the entire life course’. We this, I examine how the concept aft have two main aims for this paper. er it was fii rst coined during the fii rst Abstract: In this paper the authors First, we provide an overview of the French Revolution was closely related seek to continue the debate on the original 1960s phase of the research and to the concept of ‘civilisation’. Using development of modern football. outline Elias’s theory of ‘transition’. In the examples of Britain and France, They note the support offered by his lost writings on youth, Elias argued I go on to argue that the concept of Tony Collins to the long-standing that the transition to work requires the ‘terrorism’ developed in antithesis reservations of Graham Curry and Eric young person to become ‘civilised’, to the concept of ‘civilisation’ and

Issue No.45 August 2016 Figurations 7 was heavily infll uenced by intra- and This absence is striking, representing zones. Also the prevailing formats and inter-state processes between the two a missed opportunity in understanding scopes of societal self-observations via countries. Later, I explain how Britain’s the development of global sport and various mass media differ significantly relationship with Ireland was also international relations more generally. and have been reshaped time and again, central to the ‘sociogenesis’ of the yet it is obvious, that throughout the concept of ‘terrorism’. I also show how Raúl Sánchez García, twentieth century and accelerating the relationship between the concepts ‘The development of Kano’s judo in the beginning of the twenty-first of ‘terrorism’ and ‘civilisation’ is within Japanese civilising/decivilising century, mass-mediated audio-visual perhaps one of the few regularities processes’, Asia Pacific Journal of self-observations have become ever involving ‘terrorism’ since its birth Sport and Social Science (2016). DOI: more important. The following in the late eighteenth century and add 10.1080/21640599.2016.1186583. interpretations of the detailed analyses that the fact that ‘terrorism’ is used as of more than a hundred and fifty hours a label to delegitimise outsider groups Abstract: This paper analyses the of centennial and annual TV reviews by established groups forms part of complex development of judo from from Brazil, China, Germany, and the the same ‘double-bind’ processes and the figurational approach of Norbert United States will focus on dominant relations in which those designated Elias. Judo was not the creation of power presentation patterns. Combining as ‘terrorists’ act according to those a sole genius, Jigoro Kano, but was previous visual and textual analyses designations. progressively developed within a social mainly form the United States and blind process of whole figurations Germany with recent computer-aided Katie Liston and Joe Maguire, affected by specific balances between analyses of centennial and annual ‘Sport, Empire, and Diplomacy: civilising/decivilising trends. Jigoro reviews from the four cultures will “Ireland” at the 1930 British Empire Kano systematised judo in order to allow for an updating of Elias’s theory Games’, Diplomacy and Statecraft 27: offer a modern, formal educational tool of civilising processes. Thereby, 2 (2016), pp. 1–26. for character-building of the youth. some general complementarities and http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09592296.20 Nonetheless, it is argued that some tensions between various dimensions 16.1169797 unintended consequences from his of functional differentiation, social original plan resulted in a very different integration, and civilisation will be Abstract: International sport, as and contrary phenomenon: Kano’s integrated in a model of multiple Geoffrey Pigman has correctly innovations gave birth to systematised modernisations. observed, emerged ‘as a quintessential mass education means that would case study demonstrating the part be later used to instil a militarised Cas Wouters, ‘Lust Balance’, The that public diplomacy plays in ethos among the whole population; Blackwell Encyclopedia of contemporary diplomacy’. The British Kano helped to link judo and modern Sociology. Ritzer, George Empire Games/Commonwealth Games budo with the sport world (through (ed). (Blackwell Publishing, [BEG/CG] are one such example, the Olympic movement) and tied 2007) Blackwell Reference Online being the second largest multi-national their future development to the sport DOI:10.1111/b.9781405124331.2007.x multi-sport event today. Their origins figuration towards professionalisation http://www.sociologyencyclopedia. lie in the interwar era when members of and ‘striving achievement’. com/subscriber/tocnode. sporting organisations, many of whom html?id=g9781405124331_yr2015_ were active in other formal aspects of Peter Ludes, ‘Long-term power chunk_g978140512433118_ss1-63 public life, considered the organisation presentation shifts: from key audio- of specific Imperial events through visual narratives to an update of Elias’s Abstract: The lust balance symbolises international networking. Described as theory on the process of civilisation’, the connection between the longing for lacking a ‘thoroughly analytical and in H. G. Kippenberg and B. Mersmann sexual gratification and the longing for interpretive account of their history’, (eds), The Humanities between Global an enduring intimate relationship. It questions of identity politics, public Integration and Cultural Diversity highlights the tensions and changes in diplomacy and statecraft are at their (Berlin, De Gruyter, 2016), pp. the balance between desire for sex and core because the BEG, inaugurated 188–210. desire for love, both in the biographies in 1930, represented qualities and of individuals and in the histories of values that appealed to governments, Norbert Elias highlighted three major peoples. Since the 1960s in the west, civil society, and sportspeople alike. long-term ‘complementary processes some people (mostly men) even came In the waning of the British Empire, of functional differentiation, social to see sex and love as contradictory; the BEG was one attempt to maintain integration, and civilisation’ as traditions providing guidance on how imperial prestige and cement cultural common characteristic of what other to integrate these longings disappeared; bonds. Yet not only is there an absence authors tried to subsume under various and the old ‘marriage manuals’ became of analytical accounts of their history, concepts of modernisation. The pace suspect or hopelessly obsolete, mainly but the inter-relationships between the and rhythm of these processes as well because they hardly acknowledged, if at BEG and diplomacy, and among global as the modes of their complementarities all, the sensual love and carnal desires sport and diplomacy more broadly, and tensions vary considerably across of women. Throughout the twentieth have been similarly under-investigated. historical epochs and world cultural century, particularly since the 1920s,

8 Figurations Issue No.45 August 2016 there was a ‘sexualisation of love’ and has (i) constrained athletes to use more John Connolly and Paddy Dolan, an ‘eroticisation of sex’. An ongoing dangerous but less detectable drugs and ‘Social class tensions, habitus emancipation of sexuality coincided (ii) to use additional masking drugs and the advertising of Guinness’, with warmer loving relationships, to conceal their use of performance- Sociological Review (2016). DOI: bolstering a more general emancipation enhancing drugs; (iii) driven drug 10.1111/1467-954X.12388. of both love and lust. The concept use underground, thereby making it ‘lust balance’ functions as a tool for difficult to control the quality of drugs Abstract: Drawing from an Eliasian historical and international comparison. and (iv) making it more difficult for perspective we examine how an athletes, especially below elite level, ‘advertising subjectivity’ became Nina Baur, Maria Norkus and to obtain medical monitoring of their more firmly embedded within the Cristina Besio, ‘Innovationen drug use. This paper provides at least bourgeois habitus. We explain how aus figurationssoziologischer partial answers to these questions by, and why advertising slowly developed Perspektive. Zur Entstehung, firstly, examining the ways in which and expanded within a commercial Verbreitung und Auswirkung einer social scientists have used the concept organisation despite initial opposition, organisationalen Innovation am of unintended consequences and ambivalence and even hostility Beispiel der Projektifizierung der similar concepts. Attention is focused, from some of its bourgeois senior Wissenschaft’ [Innovations from in particular, on the Merton’s classic management towards the practice figuration sociological perspective: conceptualisation of ‘the unintended – the very social class sometimes On the origin, spread and impact of consequences of purposive social identified with advertising’s origins organisational innovation using the action’ as well as on Elias’s concept of and advance. Our empirical case is example of the ‘projectification’ the ‘unplanned outcomes’ and his analysis based on Arthur Guinness & Sons science] in W. Rammert, M. Hutter, of the relationship between planned and Ltd, the Irish company which came H. Knoblauch and A. Windeker (eds), unplanned social processes. The paper to be renowned for the alcohol Innovationsgesellschaft heute: Zur concludes with the implications of these beverage which carried its name reflexiven Herstellung des Neuen, analyses for the practical processes of – Guinness stout. We explain how (Wiesbaden: Springer, 2016), pp. policy formation and implementation. the development of advertising was 373–402. impelled by a series of processes that Stephen Quilley, ‘De-growth is not a increasingly interlocked; a widening A central question of innovation liberal agenda: relocalisation and the and intensification of competitive research is how innovation processes limits to low energy cosmopolitanisms’, commercial interdependencies; a at macro, meso and micro-level Environmental Values 22 (2013), pp. shift in the power balance between interlock and are interdependent with 261–85. the bourgeoisie and aristocracy in each other (Hutter et al., 2011). We favour of the former in Britain; and summarise this dynamic exchange ratio Abstract: Degrowth is identified by a changing consumer habitus in hereafter as ‘figuration-sociological’, as a perspective turning point in several different nation-states. Central and seek to show the fertility of human development as significant though, as we illustrate, was a process figurational sociology for Innovation as the domestication of fire or the involving the changing power relation Research, using the example of science process of agrarianisation. The between various social classes in and focusing in particular on the Transition movement is identified Britain – principally the increasing phenomenon of the ‘projectification’ of as the most important attempt to power chances of the bourgeoisie in science. develop a prefigurative, local politics relation to the aristocracy – a process of degrowth. Explicating the links that had advanced considerably by the Ivan Waddington, ‘Theorising between capitalist modernisation, turn of the twentieth century. unintended consequences of metabolic throughput and psychological anti-doping policy’, Performance individuation, Transition embraces Lars Bo Kaspersen and Andreas Enhancement & Health 4: 3–4 (2016), ‘limits’ but downplays the implications Møller Mulvad, ‘Towards a pp. 80–7. of scarcity for open, liberal societies, Figurational History of Leicester and for inter-personal and inter-group Sociology, 1954–1982’, Abstract: There is a growing violence. William Ophuls’s trilogy Sociology (2016). DOI: recognition of the fact that unintended on the politics of scarcity confronts 10.1177/0038038516648550. consequences are a commonplace precisely these issues, but it depends feature of everyday social life, not on an unconvincing sociology of Abstract: This article applies Norbert just in sport but in all aspects of social individuation as a central process in Elias’s ‘processual-relational approach’ life (for a dramatic example, consider modernity. A framework is advanced to an empirical case: the influential the many unintended consequences through which to explore the tensions, Leicester Department of Sociology of Western intervention in the Middle trade-offs and possibilities for a between 1954 and 1982. Based on 42 East). In relation to doping, the most socially liberal, culturally cosmopolitan qualitative interviews and extensive obvious unintended consequences – in and science-based civilisation under archival materials, we identify two this case collateral harms – include the conditions of degrowth and metabolic phases: the early phase of cohesion fact that existing anti-doping policy contraction. is characterised by a strong sense of

Issue No.45 August 2016 Figurations 9 purpose and a growing influence on of assimilation, this article suggests Ellingtonn and jazz in Sweden, and, of British sociology. The second phase is that processes of assimilation reflect course, smuggled in Eliasian thoughts characterised by social and intellectual a complicated coalescence of national already at the beginning, as well as fragmentation. In explaining this inclusion and exclusion. That is, referring to Dunning and Hughes’s reversal, we argue that a critical rather than simply highlighting how book for further reading.’ In English, juncture of youth rebellion around the national press serve to reproduce he has published a long article on 1968 provided the portents of an simple ‘us’ and ‘them’ binaries, this ‘Ellington in Sweden’, in the Musical anti-authoritarian civilisational trend, article draws upon Elias and Scotson’s Quarterly 96: 3–4 (2013), pp. 478–512 which increasingly put strains on the established–outsider perspective in (although the Eliasian references do not established power nexus: the autocratic order to examine how the discursive appear there). leadership model embodied by the construction of the ‘nation’ rests upon department’s inspirational leader, Ilya a dynamic process of identifying and Inken Hasselbusch, Norbert Elias und Neustadt. managing ‘outsider’ individuals. As Pierre Bourdieu im Vergleich: Eine a result, while ‘outsider’ groups are Untersuchung zu Theorieentwicklung, Jocelyne Cesari, ‘Disciplining frequently subjected to negative media Begrifflichkeit und Rezeption.[Norbert religion: the role of the state and its portrayals, it is argued that Farah’s Elias and Pierre Bourdieu compared: consequences on democracy’, Journal significance was underscored by an investigation into theoretical of Religious and Political Practice, discourses that sought to highlight his development, concepts and reception] Special Issue: Religion and Politics: assimilated Britishness and through PhD thesis, Pädagogischen Hochschule Bringing the State Back 2: 2 (2016), pp. his promotion as a symbol of Britain’s Karlsruhe, 2014, 300 pp. 135–54. achieved multiculturalism. Abstract: This dissertation searches Abstract: This article presents the Nicole Pepperell, ‘The unease for an answer to the question: why concept of hegemonic religion and with civilisation: Norbert Elias are Norbert Elias and Pierre Bourdieu its relationship with democracy. This and the violence of the civilising used in similar contexts? Their theories concept entails not only a certain type process’, Thesis Eleven (2016). DOI: are compared to each other to find of institutional relation between state 10.1177/0725513616638480. similarities and differences in their and religion but, more importantly, a concepts. The author analyses their kind of national culture with religion Abstract: Norbert Elias’s concept of ways of closing the gaps of common at its core. Utilising Norbert Elias’s the civilising process is perhaps the dichotomies within the social sciences. figurational sociology, this article most controversial aspect of his work, An overview of the reception of the analyses how postcolonial states have attracting frequent criticism for its work of Elias and Bourdieu is also built a national habitus that plays a perceived Eurocentrism, as well as given. But not only do their theories, decisive role in the politicisation of impassioned defences that critics have concepts and methodology show some religion. It focuses on examples from misunderstood the concept. In this comparable aspects but also their lives Islam and Buddhism and discusses how piece, I explore how The Civilizing and biographies. The thesis includes hegemonic types of politicised religions Process channels unacknowledged the letters they wrote to each other, have negative impacts on democracy. Eurocentric stereotypes in ways that published here for the first time. infuse the theory at a depth level. I then Jack Black, ‘As British as fish examine the downstream ramifications Olle Edström writes about this thesis, ‘I and chips’: British newspaper of these stereotypes by contrasting have just read a really astonishing and representations of Mo Farah during Elias’s analysis of the Holocaust, as excellent work on Elias and Bourdieu the 2012 London Olympic Games, presented in The Germans, with his by Inken Hasselbusch’. A PDF of this Media Culture Society (2016). DOI: analysis of colonialism as presented thesis is freely available to download 10.1177/0163443716635863. in The Civilizing Process. I argue that from the university website at: Elias’s failure to integrate forms of http://phka.bsz-bw.de/frontdoor/index/ Abstract: This article examines British state violence directed at the colonial index/docId/9 newspaper representations of the ‘Team periphery undermines his ability to GB’ athlete Mohamed ‘Mo’ Farah analyse state violence in the core. A Gabriele Rosenthal (ed.), Etablierte during the 2012 London Olympic more adequate approach would theorise und Aussenseiter zugleich: Selbst- und Games. In particular, attention is given ‘civilisation’ as an ambivalent and Fremdbilder ub den palästinensischen to examining how representations contradictory process whose violent Communities im Westjordanland und in of Farah were related to discourses character is often – though not always Israel. (Frankfurt: Campus, 2015). 344 on British multiculturalism. A brief – more exposed and visible on the pp. ISBN: 978-3-593-50483-4 (pb); discussion of recent rejections of periphery. 978-3-593-43258-8 (e-book). multiculturalism is provided, with specific reference given to political and Olle Edström, Duke Ellington och jazz The Palestinian population often public calls for immigrants to assimilate i Sverige (Stockholm: Förlag Carlsson, outwardly presents a homogeneous with ‘British values’. By turning away 2015). Olle Edström writes: ‘I have image of their own national identity. from a dichotomous understanding recently published a long book on Duke However, on closer inspection, this

10 Figurations Issue No.45 August 2016 image proves deceptive and fragile. the spectre of World War I, which significant contribution to the Brazilian This book employs methods and profoundly and durably marked him, History of Education and the History concepts from sociological biography as a refugee in London from 1935, of the Espírito Santo education. There research and figurational sociology to he had was certain of only one thing: are few studies on the first movements analyse the Middle East conflict beyond that violence in all its forms can – and, that have turned to the education of the the polarity between ‘Israelis’ and according to him, must – be opposed by people and, especially, adolescents and ‘Palestinians’. Through a comparison scholarly reason. That reason is what adults from the 1940s. of five urban areas, the importance of the process sociology that he developed The exciting and innovative way of belonging, collective self-images and is intended to embody. Elias’s ambition articulation between the CEAA, the different forms of social differentiation was to build a new model of social end of the Second World War and is probed. science, attentive to the contributions the contents of a moral improvement of biology, history, anthropology, project of Brazilian society, along the Marjorie Fitzpatrick, Music and psychoanalysis. lines of a civilising process from the Power in Eighteenth-Century Court theoretical framework of Norbert Elias, Society: Handel’s Messiah and The book presents the wealth, are elements that make reading this Protestant Ascendancy (Lewiston, NY: the breadth and the unity of the book indispensable for understanding Edwin Mellen, 2015). 571 pp. ISBN: sociologist’s intellectual project. By the leitmotiv of the history of education 978 149550449 5. studying the secular process of the and history of youth and adult formation of self-constraints at the heart education in the country in that period. This book is a revised version of of the civilising process, it provides Marjorie Fitzpatrick’s 2004 PhD an understanding of this process Steven Loyal, ‘Elias, Norbert thesis at University College Dublin. A which shows how it is all the more (1897–1990) and established–outsider summary can be found in Figurations imperative that the conscience that is relations’; and 22 (http://www.norberteliasfoundation. formed makes it never safe to return to Stephen Mennell and Barbara nl/figurations.php) – but note that the violence. Górnicka, ‘Civilizing processes’, both book is published under Marjorie’s in John Stone, Rutledge M. Dennis, married name, whereas the thesis Deane Monteiro Veira Costa, Polly S. Rizova, Anthony D. Smith, and was listed under her maiden name of A Campanha de Educação de Xiaoshuo Hou (eds), Wiley Blackwell O’Neill. Adolescentes e Adultos no Brasil e no Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and estado do Espírito Santo (1947-1963) - Nationalism (Chichester: Wiley, 2016). Sabine Delzescaux, Norbert Elias: um projeto civilizador [‘The Campaign Distinction, conscience et violence for Education for Adolescents and [‘Norbert Elias: Distinction, conscience Adults in Brazil and Espírito Santo and violence’] (Paris: Armand Colin, (1947-1963) - a civilising project’] 2016). 288 pp. ISBN: 9782200281182. (Vitória: Pedro & João Editores, 2016). ISBN: 978-85-7993-290-8. 270pp. This book looks anew at Norbert Elias (1897–1990), placing him in The publication of this book based his academic, historical, but also on the PhD thesis of Deane Monteiro biographical context. Haunted by Vieira Costa is an undeniable and

SABINE DELZESCAUX

Norbert Elias Distinction, conscience et violence

Issue No.45 August 2016 Figurations 11 FORTHCOMING BOOK every World Congress. At the Montreal that many readers of the newsletter PUBLICATIONS Congress in 1998, we discussed seeking will become members of the new upgrading to the next level, a Thematic Research Committee (see http://www. Steven Loyal, Pierre Bourdieu’s Group on figurational sociology. That isa-sociology.org/rc56.htm). Theory of the State: A Critical ran into difficulty: when Robert van Introduction (Basingstoke: Palgrave Krieken put the proposal to the ISA, At the ISA Forum in Vienna in Macmillan) [Due to be published they asked ‘But what do you study?’, July this year, I stepped down as October 2016.] and became very alarmed when we President of RC 56. Manuela Boatcǎ replied ‘everything’. No go. is my successor. Robert van Krieken Barbara Górnicka, Nakedness, Shame continues as Vice-President, and and Embarrassment: A Long-term Another group, who loosely described Paddy Dolan is Secretary/Treasurer. Sociological Perspective (Wiesbaden: themselves as concerned with ‘multiple Members of the Board are Nina Baur Springer VS) [Due to be published modernities’ and with whom we had (Technische Universität Berlin); Jose November 2016] long been on good terms, were a bit Esteban Castro (CONICET, Argentina, luckier. Led by our friends the late and Newcastle University); Daniele Norman Gabriel, The Sociology of Willfried Spohn (for whose obituary, Conversi (University of the Basque Early Childhood : Critical Perspectives see Figurations 37) and Manuela Country); José Maurício Domingues (London: Sage) [Due to be published Boatcǎ (now of the University of (Instituto de Estudos Sociais e Políticos, April 2017] Freiburg im Breisgau), they formed Brazil); Stephen Mennell (University the Thematic Group on Historical and College Dublin); Fumiya Onaka Comparative Sociology. At the World (Japan Women’s University); Elisa Congress in Gothenburg in 2010, we Reis (Universidade Federal do Rio de INTERNATIONAL merged with them to form Working Janeiro); Jiří Šubrt (Charles University, SOCIOLOGICAL Group 02 (rung three); now we have Prague). ASSOCIATION NEWS reached the dizzying height of full Research Committee (rung four, the top Stephen Mennell The new Research of the ladder). Committee 56 – a niche in the ISA for figurationists The title of the new RC 56, ‘Historical ISA 3rd Forum of Sociology’, is perhaps not ideal from Sociology, Vienna, 10–14 In March, the Executive Committee an Eliasian point of view. Norbert Elias July 2016: ‘The Futures we of the International Sociological himself always denied that he was ‘an Want: Global Sociology Association approved the upgrading historical sociologist’ – both because and the Struggles for a of Working Group 02 (Historical all sociology needs to be historical, Better World’ and Comparative Sociology) to the in the sense that in his view time is status of full Research Committee – always one axis of any sociological The ISA Forums were instituted to number 56 – under the title ‘Historical explanation, and because ‘historical fill the mid-term gap between the Sociology’. Although figurational sociology’ should thus not be seen as four-yearly full World Congresses, sociologists belong to RCs on many just one of many subdivisions of the and were expected to be smaller aspects of sociology, this one makes discipline. Nevertheless, ‘Historical gatherings than the Congresses. But specific provision in is constitution for Sociology’ was the title available they are steadily growing in their own followers of Norbert Elias. within the ISA: there is already RC 20 right, and about 4,000 sociologists Comparative Sociology, of which many from worldwide showed up at the For those unfamiliar with the Byzantine figurational sociologists are already University of Vienna. Sociologists world of the ISA, the word ‘upgrading’ members. (Stephen Vertigans looks using ideas from Elias took part in requires explanation, seasoned with a after figurational interests on the board sessions organised by many Research little history. Within the ISA, there is a of RC 20.) For that matter, as Durkheim Committees, and it is impossible to list four-level hierarchy. The lowest rung famously observed, all sociology is them all. I shall focus on just a few. is an Ad Hoc Group, and that is where comparative too. we began when, at the 1994 World The ISA has organisationally always Congress in Bielefeld, I organised Actually, it is remarkable that there salami-sliced the discipline into any some sessions on figurational sociology has never before been an ISA section number of highly specialised empirical that met with great enthusiasm. (That on Historical Sociology, considering research areas, which is not much to Congress was also the occasion of the that in its origins sociology was the taste of figurational sociologists. It first issue of theFigurations newsletter, historical sociology. Nina Baur was therefore a welcome development and of our first discussion of setting up recently suggested to me that a better that the current ISA Vice-President for our own journal, which did not come to title would have been ‘History and Research, Markus Schulz, organised a pass until Human Figurations in 2012.) Social Processes’, but it is too late series of ‘Common Sessions’, in which The snag is that one has to re-apply now. I think we can take pride in this representatives of all the specialised from scratch for an Ad Hoc Group at final upgrading and in this title. I hope Research Committees were supposed

12 Figurations Issue No.45 August 2016 University of Vienna and Fernando Ampudia and Stephen Mennell during Alex Law’s presentation]

to speak to a wider audience about through them – perhaps in a not entirely session that I organised myself attacked how their own area was of interest to planned way – was how practically the question of usefulness directly. It sociology in general. I represented the useful historical–comparative sociology posed the question, ‘In what ways can new RC 56, formerly WG 02, delivering can be. It brought to mind the old comparative–historical sociology help what I hoped was a provocative Marxist slogan, ‘There’s nothing so to improve the workings of the modern address entitled ‘History is not bunk’. practical as a good theory’. Esteban world?’ My own paper revisited the old The session was well attended, and I Castro organised a session on ‘Socio- literature on the social foundations of hope that these Common Sessions will ecological violences …’, Florence democracy and drew attention to how, become a feature of future Congresses Delmotte one on ‘Nation-building, had it not apparently been forgotten, and Forums. Euroscepticism and transnationalism it might have prevented the ludicrous …’, and another session was devoted delusion that democracy could be A dozen sessions were organised by to Robert van Krieken’s book Celebrity imposed by bombing people in the RC56. One of the themes that ran Society – all topical matters. The Greater Middle East. Other papers

Issue No.45 August 2016 Figurations 13 were given by Eric Royal Lybeck on CONTRIBUTIONS TO the links between legal scholarship FIGURATIONS and comparative–historical sociology; Alex Law on state formation in The next issue of Figurations will be mailed Scotland; Behrouz Alikhani on the in January 2017. News and notes should be difficulties of the EU in providing sent by 1 December 2016 to the Editors at a focus for common identification; [email protected]. Fernando Ampudia on the relevance of Elias to the financial crisis; and Mary Editor: Stephen Mennell Hickman on the Irish diaspora and Editorial Address: School of Sociology, multiculturalism. University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Elsewhere, I attended a session on Tel. +353-1-295 0276; Fax: +353-1-716 1125. ‘Mass violence in the twentieth–twenty- first century and emotions’, under the Associate Editor: Dr Katie Liston, School auspices of RC48. This was organised of Sports Studies, University of Ulster, by Ilan Lew and Dieter Reicher, and Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern included papers by Akira Ohira and Ireland BT37 0QB. Phone: +44 28 90368539; Sabine Haring. The principal discussant Fax: +44 28 9036 6028. was Abram de Swaan, and afterwards, by arrangement, twenty-odd of us went Managing Editor (Dublin): Dr Barbara across the road to the Café Landtmann Górnicka (UCD). Email: figurations@ for an excellent lunch, following which norberteliasfoundation.nl Abram gave an improvised talk about his book The Killing Compartments: Honorary Assistant Editors: Florence The Mentality of Mass Murder (Yale Delmotte, Brussels (French); Tabea Dörfelt- UP, 2015). Mathey, Jena (German); Tatiana Savoia Landini, São Paulo (Spanish and Portuguese, Stephen Mennell Latin America).

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14 Figurations Issue No.45 August 2016