Risk

by Deborah Lupton

We are living in a world in which the existence of risk is constantly debated, misinformation and disinformation are rife and spread quickly and easily through online media, and where governments and institutions continue to avoid taking decisive action even when there is general agreement that a serious threat exists. Understanding how people, social groups and social organizations understand, respond to and act on threats, hazards and dangers is more important than ever. In Risk, Deborah Lupton asserts the ongoing importance of the analysis of risk in our age of permacrisis and mounting scepticism about experts and science, calling for a ‘re-turn’ to risk theory in the social sciences.

The book outlines the three major approaches to risk in social and cultural theory, devoting a chapter to each. The first approach draws upon the work of Mary Douglas to articulate the cultural/symbolic perspective on risk. The second approach is that of the risk society perspective, based on the writings of Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens. The third approach covered is that of the governmentality perspective, which builds on Michel Foucault’s work. Three other chapters examine in detail the relationship between concepts of risk and concepts of selfhood and the body, the notion of Otherness and how this influences the ways in which people respond to and think about risk, and the pleasures of voluntary risk-taking, including discussion of edgework. An entirely new chapter has been added to this edition, focusing on the risks posed by misinformation and denial in the context of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter discusses the politics of post-truth cultures and the powerful networks of actor and organizations that together work to challenge science and manufacture dissent against attempts to tackle these crises.

This new edition of Risk is an essential introduction to the topic of risk for students and academics in the social sciences and humanities.

Genres: Nonfiction, Anthropology

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 1999

Reviews

[Ole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good. It`s a well written book.
And why is it so? What makes this book so different, from thousand others? Why does this book surpass those ridiculous academic writings, who appears to be written by idiots?

Because of it`s simpleness. The lack of pretenciousbullshit




Now, this man - is Ulrich Beck. The writer of the infamous Risk Society. Off course, people cling to idea that this man is a good writer. Which is false.

A mediocer writer, maybe. But that is irrelevant, when he fills the pages with mindless nonsense

Writing is about conveying information - communication

not about showing off how many big words you can put into your text.

I don`t like bad writers. Or academic writers

So, how is it that Deborah Lupton, can take Beck`s ideas (which he off course stole from somebody else...) and convey them better than mr. Beck himself?

Because she manages to leave out the pretencious bullshit that doesn`t belong there. She tells the truth, the way she sees it.

So yeah, great book. Great introduction to the field. Loved the part about Foucault - a terrific read. Never saw the connection between risk and governmentality untill I read this book.

If all academic writers wrote this way, my life as a student would be a whole lot easier. And the world would be a richer place

Imagine the day when an uneducated person, can pick up an academic text , and read it. Without a dictionary. It shouldn't be necessary to have a doctorates degree, just to read a simple article or book. This is a great example, that such a thing can be done.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really accessible and concise review of the ways risk is constructed in the modern (Western) world. Covers various perspectives, offers useful comparisons, and provides clear examples for some rather abstract and complex theory. It really helped me put different scholars and views into conversation with one another.

[D]

Risk and governmentality.