Social crisis and sociological criticism

In a context of crisis—or a series of crises—various sociologists practicing in Spain convened, individually and jointly, a meeting scheduled for October 2021, to discuss precisely that: the crisis.

It wasn't an exercise in closed disciplinary self-reflection: the avalanche of contemporary societies, gripped by multiple crises, had thrown the topic at us as a challenge. However, we were specifically invited to do so through critique. That sociological critique that has always been there, as several works in this book remind us. A recurring theme, yet one that tends to slip away, especially in times when everything seems critical and, at the same time, no critique seems to decisively strike at us.

Beyond the shared etymology, crisis is a challenge for criticism; but, above all, criticism is, to a greater or lesser extent, an intimate part of the sociologist's practice and even of society's understanding of the discipline. Nor can it be hidden that the relationship between crisis and criticism fueled another meaning, from the very beginning of the call for papers. The question was not only what critique is best suited to this crisis or these crises, but also the crisis that criticism itself is experiencing.

The texts, drafted in an inchoate manner open to debate for the aforementioned meeting, acquire solidity in this book, having overcome the challenges of the intense sessions and having settled with the necessary writing process. Open questions that received a relevant variety of responses. Texts that situate criticism from subjects who situate their criticism from a crisis, and most of them, texts that situate criticism from subjects in crisis situations and from crises that affect us as subjects with rights and responsibilities. An enriching range of lines of reflection with the corresponding variety of formats to which they invite, and that resonate from the very heart of sociological practice a polyphonic call to arms that vindicates the critical examination of social life as a requirement.

How to cite the collective work: Callejo Gallego, Javier and Sánchez de la Yncera, Ignacio (eds.) (2024). Social Crisis and Sociological Criticism . Madrid: Center for Sociological Research.

How to cite a specific chapter from the collective work: Díaz Geada, Alba (2025). "The Agrarian Question" and Contemporary Agrarian History: Some Questions for Reflection. In: Pedreño, Andrés and Castro, Carlos de (eds.) (2025). Rural and Agricultural Sociology: New Advances in Social Research in the Fields of Agri-Food Globalization . Madrid: Center for Sociological Research.

Index of the Work

Access to the first pages

Information about the authors of the collective work