Humanist Social Theory of Zygmunt Bauman: From Hermeneutics to Morality
03 06 2025
The Division of Theoretical Sociology of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences invites you to participate in a seminar to be held on 3 June 2025 at 15:00 in room 154 of the Staszic Palace.
Elena Álvarez Álvarez PhD (University of Navarra)
will deliver a paper entitled Humanist Social Theory of Zygmunt Bauman: From Hermeneutics to Morality.
Moderated by: Dariusz Brzeziński, PhD, Professor IFiS PAN, Department of Theoretical Sociology, IFiS PAN
The seminar will be held in English. Below you will find an abstract of the speech prepared by the speaker:
„Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017) was one of the most renowned social theorists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Notwithstanding many changes in his more than 63 years of writings, some of its continuous aspects may also be identified. One of them is his commitment to humanism, which is the theme of my talk. I will concentrate on the panoramic analysis of Bauman’s writings, focusing mainly on his view on hermeneutics and morality. My paper will present his view on the role of sociology in the process of understanding the contemporary condition, as well as how to make it more ethically committed. The paper will be based on my longstanding research on Bauman’s social theory that will be published in autumn in a book: The Humanist Social Theory of Zygmunt Bauman. Bringing back morality to sociology, and sociology to morality (Brill)”
Elena Álvarez-Álvarez PhD (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6434-5150) is a lecturer in social theory and ethics at the University of Navarra, Spain. Her research interests include hermeneutics, social theory, cultural and religious transformations. She has published, among others, in ‘Theory, Culture and Society’ , ‘The International Journal of Critical Cultural Studies’, ‘International Social Sciences Review’, ‘Eikasía Revista de Filosofía’. She is currently conducting analyses of Zygmunt Bauman’s social theory in the context of reflections on the meaning of dialogue and the understanding of intercultural differences in the contemporary world. She was a visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds and is currently an academic visitor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences from mid-May to mid-August 2025.
It is possible to take the seminar remotely via a link:
https://zoom.us/j/99630801085?pwd=pJoEQpS7jhewQlBEoGv6vOomYkUNfY.1
Meeting ID: 996 3080 1085, Access code: 546071