Sociedade mundial de risco: Teoria, críticas e desafios

Abstract

The article outlines internal contradictions, theoretical insufficiencies, innovations and challenges raised by Ulrich's Beck theory of world risk society for sociology. Therefore, we perform a brief reconstruction of the history of that theory, indicating some of its main innovations. Then we address two consolidated criticisms, namely the criticism of its historical and logical foundation in cosmopolitanism and the epistemic criticism by postcolonial social theorists. Then, our methodological strategy of reconstruction allows us to identify an internal contradiction between the foundation of that theory in methodological cosmopolitanism and the diagnosis of global risks, in view of the typology to which this diagnosis gives form. And finally, we formulate some critical considerations, point out some challenges left to sociology and suggest a re-orientation of the theory key questions, considering the mentioned criticisms and outlining a theoretical and empirical intuition of a hermeneutics of risk, reflexivity and cosmopolitization yet to be done.