Naslov
From the dominance of critical paradigm towards ‘yet-unaware positivism’ – overview of general tendencies in developments of social theory in Croatia

Autori
Žažar, Krešimir

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Skup
9th International Social Theory Consortium conference ISTC 2019 – “Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy in the 21st Century: System as the future of modern society?”

Mjesto i datum
Dubrovnik, Hrvatska, 05.07.2019. - 07.07.2019

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
developments in social theory in Croatia ; philosophy of praxis ; critical theory ; multi-perspectiveness ; ‘yet-unaware positivism’

Sažetak
The paper provides a reconstruction of general tendencies in the transformation of social theory in Croatia in the last several decades (since the 1960’s). The overview of shifts in the domain of ideas is examined in relation to the profound structural societal upheaval that this society has undergone. The starting point of the analysis are the 1960s, when a specific type of Marxian thought represented the most influential theoretical position. As former Yugoslavia (and Croatia as part of it) was a socialist country, it is not surprising that the Marxian thought was the leading intellectual frame, since it corresponded to the nominally proclaimed value system. However, far from being a dogmatic teaching, the mentioned type of Marxism represented a vibrant theoretical position developed by a group of intellectuals gathered around the journal ‘Praxis’. The axial premises of the so-called ‘praxis philosophy’ were anchored in the early works of K. Marx and share multiple common attributes with the critical theory. The exchange of ideas between the proponents of ‘praxis philosophy’ and the representatives of ‘Frankfurt School’ of critical theory was intensive and fruitful, as authors like Marcuse and Habermas took part in the internationally renowned ‘Korčula Summer School’, a meeting annually organized by the ‘Praxis’ circle. Moreover, the works of the entire ‘Frankfurt School’ were intensely echoed, discussed and applied in Croatian intellectual and academic circles. Despite a certain dominance of critical theory, it should be emphasized that the social thought in Croatia was never mono- paradigmatic since other theoretical perspectives, for instance functionalism, structuralism etc., were present to a considerable degree as well. With the collapse of socialism and the instalment of the liberal-democratic societal system, critical theory lost its centrality and has been barely preserved as an intellectual tradition, and is only advocated by very few proponents today. During the 1990’s and to a certain degree in the 2000’s the dominance of the ‘democratic transition model’ can be obviously detected. This approach was imported from political science as an explanation tool for social processes and social phenomena during the so called ‘democratic transition’ period, but it was generally applied almost entirely uncritically, i.e. without the necessary reflective rigor, so its usage is of doubtful analytical merits. When considering current tendencies, specifically in the field of sociology, a wide multi-perspectiveness of theoretical paradigms and methodological approaches is apparent. However - and this is one of the crucial thesis claimed in the paper - there is a lack of serious theoretical discussions and advancement of theories in the general sense. Namely, a theory in current sociological researches conducted in numerous subspecialized (empirical) fields is often given only secondary relevance, while pivotal emphasis is on empirical data. Such tendency can be conceived as a type of ‘yet-unaware positivism’, i.e. taking positivistic position without being aware of that. When analysing developments in social theory, it is extraordinarily interesting to notice that the (social) systems theory has been of marginal importance, both in the past and today. This continuous weaker reception is something that requires proper explanation. The final segment of the paper is reserved for the discussion about which theoretical approach is the most appropriate and heuristically fruitful one for interpreting phenomena and processes unfolding in present day Croatia. Critical theory and systems theory are especially scrutinized with respect to the latter issue. Finally, an urgent need for the development of an adequate specific theoretical position capable of explaining particular features of contemporary Croatian society situated in the European semi-periphery is underlined.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Sociologija

POVEZANOST RADA