Twenty Observations on a World in Turmoil

Translated by Ciaran Cronin.

The world is a state of turmoil. From the financial crisis to
the chaos in the eurozone, from the Arab uprisings to protests in
Athens, Barcelona, New York and elsewhere, many of the familiar
frameworks are collapsing and we have to find new ways to orient
ourselves in a world undergoing rapid change. Of course, it is
necessary for political leaders to address local issues and react
to people's specific demands, but without a cosmopolitan
outlook, such a reaction is likely to be inadequate. Ulrich
Beck's Twenty-one Observations on a World in Turmoil
is a demonstration of cosmopolitan politics in practice. It is more
than a mirror: it is a magnifying glass that brings into focus the
processes that are transforming our world and highlights the great
challenges we face today.

'Global domestic politics', the concept introduced and
developed by Beck, is much more than a political theory, a
philosophical utopia (or dystopia), a governance programme or a
mental state: it is the reality of our times. Beck turns the
argument that 'global domestic politics' is an
unrealistic ideology on its head, arguing that it is the proponents
of the national who are the idealists. They view reality through
the obsolete lenses of the nation-state and thus cannot see the
profound global changes that are transforming our reality. Global
domestic politics is therefore a perspective, a political reality
and a normative idea. And it is the critical theory of our times
since it challenges the most profound truths which we hold dear:
the truths of the nation.

Auteur

Ulrich Beck is one of the world's leading sociologists and
social thinkers, well-known for his best-selling book Risk
Society. He is Emeritus Professor at Munich and Professor of
Sociology at the LSE.

Résumé
Translated by Ciaran Cronin.

The world is a state of turmoil. From the financial crisis to the chaos in the eurozone, from the Arab uprisings to protests in Athens, Barcelona, New York and elsewhere, many of the familiar frameworks are collapsing and we have to find new ways to orient ourselves in a world undergoing rapid change. Of course, it is necessary for political leaders to address local issues and react to people's specific demands, but without a cosmopolitan outlook, such a reaction is likely to be inadequate. Ulrich Beck's Twenty-one Observations on a World in Turmoil is a demonstration of cosmopolitan politics in practice. It is more than a mirror: it is a magnifying glass that brings into focus the processes that are transforming our world and highlights the great challenges we face today.

'Global domestic politics', the concept introduced and developed by Beck, is much more than a political theory, a philosophical utopia (or dystopia), a governance programme or a mental state: it is the reality of our times. Beck turns the argument that 'global domestic politics' is an unrealistic ideology on its head, arguing that it is the proponents of the national who are the idealists. They view reality through the obsolete lenses of the nation-state and thus cannot see the profound global changes that are transforming our reality. Global domestic politics is therefore a perspective, a political reality and a normative idea. And it is the critical theory of our times since it challenges the most profound truths which we hold dear: the truths of the nation.

Contenu

Introduction

Twenty Observations on a World in Turmoil

1. Mushrooms and Other Flowers of Capitalism

2. All aboard the Nuclear Power Superjet D Just Don't Ask
   about the Landing Strip

3. This Appalling Injustice!

4. Harm in Exchange for Money

5. Illegal World Citizens

6. The Cards of Power Are Being Reshuffled across the World

7. Felt Peace and Waged War

8. The Return of Social Darwinism or: Which University Do We
   Want?

9. A Kind of Berlin Wall Has Again Collapsed

10. German Euro-Nationalism

11. Beyond the Aeroplane

12. Global Domestic Politics from below: How Global Families Are
    Becoming Normal

13. The Environmental Storm on the Bastille

14. Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian

15. The Caterpillar's Mistake: Fukushima and the End of Nuclear
    Power

16. It's Time to Get Angry, Europe. Create the Europe of Citizens
    Now!

17. Powerless but Legitimate: the Occupy Movement in the Financial
    Crisis

18. Cooperate or Bust! The Existential Crisis of the European
    Union

19. What Is Meant by Global Domestic Politics?

20. The Five Self-Delusions of a Supposedly Unpolitical Age