Centre for Rotterdam Cultural Sociology
Relentless processes of individualization and globalization have corroded much of the taken-for-grantedness of the erstwhile dominant cultural narratives of the West. This has transformed culture and meaning into major social problems in and of themselves, with the contemporary West haunted by problems pertaining to meaning, identity and morality. The research program Culture and Meaning in Contemporary Modernity of the Centre for Rotterdam Cultural Sociology (CROCUS, Erasmus University Rotterdam) aims to study these cultural problems, as well as the processes of cultural change they give rise to and the latter's wider social consequences.
Dick Houtman, Peter Achterberg and Roy Kemmers on the political legacy of Pim Fortuyn
In a special issue of Beleid en Maatschappij on the legacy of Pim Fortuyn Dick Houtman, Peter Achterberg and Roy Kemmers argue that Fortuyn has changed Dutch political culture dramatically and that his legacy is alive and kicking. In addition, they state that an analysis in terms of 'left and right' provides less insight than one that takes into account the continuity between contemporary 'rightist' populism and the 'leftist' counterculture of the 1960s. Summary published on socialevraagstukken.nl, full article here (pdf). [DUTCH]
Jeroen van der Waal on ethnic competition and ethnocentrism
The influx of lower educated immigrants causes ethnic competition on the job market in cities with an industrial history like Rotterdam. However, this doesn't explain ethnocentrism, Jeroen van der Waal argues in Tijdschrift voor Sociale vraagstukken. Summaries on Sargasso and Socialevraagstukken.nl. [DUTCH]
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