Conversations with Ulrich Beck

In this new book, Ulrich Beck and the journalist Johannes Willms engage in a series of accessible conversations that reveal and explore the key elements in Beck's thought. * * Ulrich Beck, one of the most important and influential contemporary social thinkers, reveals and expands his work in a series of conversations with journalist Johannes Willms. * These conversations shed new light onto the major themes in Beck's work and provide an insight into some of the commitments and beliefs that they rest upon. * Includes new thinking on the risk society and on globalisation, themes that have put him at the forefront of contemporary debates. * Witten in a clear and lucid way and thus ideal for anyone seeking to come to grips with Beck's work.

Ulrich Beck is Professor of Sociology at the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich. Johannes Willms is a journalist and writer.

Introduction: Thinking Society Anew (John Urry). 1. Post modernity or the second modernity. 2. Individualisation. 3. Global risk society. 4. Labour society and regime of risk. 5. Cosmopolitan society and its enemies. 6. The prospects for a second enlightenment. Recommended literature for further reading. Selected Works by Authors Cited in the Text. Books by the Authors in English. About the Authors. Index.