Despite all warnings, people continue to ruthlessly exploit land resources around the world, planting monocultures and setting up large-scale infrastructure. Social ecologist Anke Schaffartzik analyses the political and economic interests that precede these developments and their impact on society. The snapshots of global material and energy flows, but also the power gradient of which they […] Continue reading “Saving the world with Christmas cookies?”
For almost a year now, the Covid-19 virus has had the world in a stranglehold. How are people in Austria dealing with this situation? In what way have their attitudes, behaviour and contentment changed? And do they see a light at the end of the tunnel – now that the first vaccination phase in Austria […] Continue reading “The social fever curve of coronavirus”
What is the attraction of far-right organisations to middle class centrists? Social anthropologist Agnieszka Pasieka observes activists up close to investigate how far right-wing extremist groups are making inroads into the centre of society through social engagement. Pasieka’s analyses diverge from traditional narratives of exclusion and losers. Continue reading “The appeal of the right-wing scene”
A European research consortium is exploring the roots of social isolation and loneliness among the elderly. Keeping gender aspects in mind, use of long-term data and country comparisons will for the first time provide a more accurate picture of social exclusion in old age and reveal its impact on society. Continue reading ““Social contacts are a buffer against constraints””
Many Europeans have a mobile lifestyle involving commuting between countries. A multinational research project supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF showed that this entails major obstacles in terms of social security arising from complex underlying causes. Continue reading “Unequal access to social security”
The expert in European Ethnology, Silke Meyer, on Tyrolean houses in Turkey, Turkish powdered soup in Fulpmes and why carrying debt makes you an entrepreneurial spirit in the USA but a loser in Germany. Continue reading “Not between, but on two stools”
The sociologist Kristina Stoeckl is observing a worldwide revival of moral conservative tendencies. Using the example of the Russian Orthodox Church, she explains how the connected conflicts about values might turn into an acid test for liberal societies. Continue reading ““Conflicts over values polarise enormously””