FSP 2: Publications

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to a resurgence of the Cold War. Are wars inevitably linked to human history? And can they only be controlled by the regulatory power of large states? After a critical discussion of prevailing theories (such as the realist theory of international relations), this book takes Kant's theory of peace as its starting point. On the basis of this theory, it must be assumed that wars arise from the unbridled interests of economic, political or military powers, but that democracy, international law and supranational institutions always open up real opportunities for peace. This perspective is applied to Ukraine's defence campaign, which has now also taken on the character of an unacceptable proxy war. This is shown by means of historical-sociological comparisons with other wars, by analysing surveys in Ukraine, reviewing media reports and personal interviews in Ukraine in April 2024. The conclusion is that not only the clear formulation of war aims, but also the opening of ceasefire and peace negotiations is the order of the day in order to prevent Ukraine from bleeding further.

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Max Weber famously said that interests directly determine people's actions, but that "world views" and "ideas" often set the course of action. However, more recent sociology has not done justice to this principle. Values and their impact are either taken for granted or considered irrelevant altogether. Empirical research into values has produced a wide range of results, but has remained largely without a theoretical foundation. Weber's own answers to the question of the relevance of values are unsatisfactory: the decision in favour of values is a purely individual matter and there is an irreconcilable struggle between the different values. In this book, this problem is comprehensively analysed and a new, constructive and explanatory solution is found (following authors such as Immanuel Kant, Emile Durkheim, George H. Mead and Raymond Boudon). With the help of considerations from philosophy, social theory and empirical social research, as well as the inclusion of historical struggles for the recognition and enforcement of values, it can be established that there are basic social values, that their number can be clearly determined and that there is not conflict but complementarity between them. With these theses and findings, this book can be regarded as a new sociological standard work. It is also of fundamental importance for representatives of many other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

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The anthology offers researchers, teachers and students in the social sciences well-founded insights into the long-term effects of this historic crisis. More than 20 empirical social researchers from Austrian universities and research institutions contributed articles on multifaceted topics, including values, future expectations and the well-being of Austrians during the pandemic. These articles are based on the longitudinal study "Values in the crisis 2020 to 2022", in which more than 2,000 Austrians took part over three survey waves. Empirical insights also provide an overview of social inequalities during the crisis, changes in the relevance assessment of areas of life, conspiracy mentality and many other relevant phenomena in Austrian society.

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This anthology sheds light on the constitutive contexts and consequences of borders for both collectives and individuals in various fields of action. Processes of inclusion and exclusion have accompanied the lives of communities and societies, of women, men and children from antiquity to the present; they have lived and continue to live on and with borders. With contributions by H. D. Galter, S. A. Haring, W. Heinemann, H. Jedlaucnik, M. Jeitler, G. Moosbauer, W. Müller, W. Spickermann, K. Tausend and St. Thaller.

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"Values" are a popular topic in political discourse and are used time and again by political institutions and their representatives to present themselves well to the outside world and legitimise problematic actions (such as wars). The reaction of the social sciences is a lot of sniggering and critical distance from debates on values.
This volume, by contrast, is based on Weber's thesis that ideas and values can historically be just as strong forces as economic interests and the pursuit of political power. In contrast to extensive works of social and legal philosophy, which often get tangled up in an endless loop without definitive solutions, this volume argues that the conceptualisation and implementation of fundamental social values can only be understood as the result of conflicts between critical new ideas, social movements and struggles supported by the population, and political reforms and innovations. ...

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