The Relational Gaze on a Changing Society

This book is a contribution both to disseminating knowledge about the relational approach in sociology which has been developed in Italy and in Europe, starting from the work of Pierpaolo Donati, and to confronting issues which are currently much debated in social theory, social research and social work.

Relational sociology is coming increasingly to the fore on the international academic stage. As it invariably happens in such circumstances, when a new paradigm attracts a growing number of scholars, researchers and practitioners, it is almost inevitably interpreted and identified in many different ways. This book aims to highlight the specific nature of relational sociology, disseminates knowledge about the relational approach which has been developed in Italy and in Europe starting from the work of Pierpaolo Donati, and confronts this approach with issues which are currently much debated in social theory, social research and social work. The authors try to consolidate the directions taken in the research field in order to distinguish relational sociology from other approaches which are not relational, or are only so to a certain degree.

Autorentext

Elisabetta Carrà is full Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes in the Faculty of Psychology at the Catholic University of Milan (Italy). She is a member of the scientific committee of the Family Studies and Research University Centre (Catholic University of Milan). Paolo Terenzi is Associate Professor of Sociology of Cultural Processes at the University of Bologna and secretary of the "Relational Studies in Sociology" network.