The Metamorphosis of the World: Society in Pupation?

Abstract

This article reviews the German sociologist Ulrich Beck’s final contribution, The Metamorphosis of the World (2016). The drivers of the process of metamorphosis are appraised and the approach adopted by Beck is considered within the broader context of his oeuvre. Continuities with previous work are illuminated and novel developments identified. In order to provide a critical but sympathetic assessment of the theory of metamorphosis, Beck’s epistemological position and his sociological modus operandi are considered. It is argued that, despite elisions, the theory of metamorphosis breaks new ground in social theory and offers valuable opportunities for future empirical investigation and conceptual debate.

Ulrich Beck: E-Special Introduction

“…As both Latour (2003) and Mythen (2018a) note, Beck's work was prone to being 'lost in translation'. Indeed, this was one of the factors which motivated him to write his last book directly in English.…”

“…Transporting the metaphor deployed in Franz Kafka's (1915) classic novella, in The Metamorphosis of the World (2016a) Beck marked out the political and cultural effects of major transformations that were upturning and remaking social life. While returning to grapple with the impact of the 'shock of the new' on institutions, Beck was primarily motivated to explore the extent to which defining social forces were presenting systemic political challenges that, in turn, incited revised moral codes and fostered unique modes of sociality (see Blok, 2016;Mythen, 2018a). Given his ambition to develop metamorphosis as a unit of sociological analysis, it is a travesty that he was unable to complete a planned trilogy of books.…”

“…As both Rasborg (2018) and Mythen (2018a) note in their respective commentaries, the key advance in Beck's thought at this time rests in establishing a revised understanding of the impacts of social bads. Whereas the original risk society thesis accentuated the deleterious environmental and social consequences of social bads, The Metamorphosis of the World (2016a) investigates their positive potential.…”