Assess The View That, In The ‘Real World’, Social Theories Of Risk Are Irrelevant.
...a formal process it is a relatively recent development. The growth of attention paid to risk analysis and management in recent years has been charted by Golding (1992), who notes the increase in formal organisations and centres of risk research with a distinct sociological input. It has been claimed that “risk is emerging as a key organizing principle in social science” (Hood and Jones, 1996: 1; see also Beck 1992, Douglas, 1992). As the sociological interest in risk has increased, so have the number of academic theories put forward. Among these theories, two distinct but similar social theories of risk from the sociologist Ulrich Beck and the anthropologist Mary Douglas have generated much academic debate and argument. In order to fully assess the view that these social theories of risk are irrelevant in the ‘real world’, it is first necessary to define some key terms used throughout the essay. In the first section of the essay, meanings of the terms ‘social’, ‘theory’ and ‘risk’ will be discussed, and specific definitions offered. The next section of the essay will be a description of Ulrich Beck’s work on the ‘Risk Society’. His theories will be described, analysed and criticised in relation to their relevance to the real world. Following this analysis, the Grid / Group theories of Mary Douglas will be similarly described, analysed and criticised. Finally, the conclusion to the essay will summarise the key points and highlight the key concerns in applying social theories of risk to the real world. Prior to the examination of the two paradigms under discussion in this essay, key terms used throughout the essay will first be defined.
The three key terms used throughout this essay are ‘social’, ‘theory’, and ‘risk’. The word social has a relatively unambiguous meaning, describing that which relates to society or its organisation (Oxford University Press, 2002)....
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