Norbert Elias in Troubled Times: Figurational Approaches to the Problems of the Twenty-first Century

The aim of this book is to gather texts that analyze “current affairs”, political and social contemporary changes and figurations that are challenging sociological interpretations and predictions, as well as governments, rulers and citizens. Rise of the populisms, migration and environmental crises, terrorist attacks: How to understand social figurations, processes and changes that, at first glance, seem to be incompatible with the civilizing processes and its main characteristics? That is to say: a shift in the balance between constraints by others and self-restrains, the development of a social standard of behavior and feeling and an increase in the scope of mutual identification between people. In short, the main goal of the book is to gather together texts that discuss current major issues in our troubled times through the lens of Norbert Elias´s sociology, shedding some light both at some of Elias´s controversial concepts as well as on the world situation.