Dariusz Brzeziński, Tom Campbell, and Jack Palmer, experts on Zygmunt Bauman, dive into his newly published works that reveal previously unknown essays and translations. They discuss Bauman's influence on sociology, emphasizing his humanistic project and the ‘Camus-Gramsci-Mills axis’ that shapes his thought. The role of translation in making his Polish writings accessible is highlighted, alongside Bauman’s relevance in contemporary discussions on disability and digital sociology. Their insights illuminate Bauman's legacy and its continual evolution within the social sciences.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Bin Bag Discovery
Tom Campbell found an essay on Borges in a bin bag during an office move.
This discovery highlighted the existence of valuable unpublished Bauman material.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Archival Discovery
Jack Palmer discovered amazing materials from Bauman's time in Israel while reviewing boxes dropped off by Bauman's daughter.
This archival discovery contributed to the project's understanding of Bauman's life and work.
insights INSIGHT
Series Significance
The Selected Writings of Zygmunt Bauman series is important for scholars of Bauman, social theory, and the history of sociology.
The series makes available previously unpublished, newly translated, and lesser-known essays by Bauman.
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Socialism, the active utopia towards a critical sociology
Socialism, the active utopia towards a critical sociology
Zygmunt Bauman
G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation
G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation
Matt Dawson
Contemporary Dimensions of Nostalgia Towards a New Theoretical Framework
Contemporary Dimensions of Nostalgia Towards a New Theoretical Framework
Dariusz Brzeziński
The Ratledge International Handbook of Sigmund Bauman
The Ratledge International Handbook of Sigmund Bauman
Dariusz Brzeziński
Visions of the Human World, Studies on the Social Genesis and Function of Sociology
Visions of the Human World, Studies on the Social Genesis and Function of Sociology
Zygmunt Bauman
Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence and Beyond theorizing society and culture of the 21st century
Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence and Beyond theorizing society and culture of the 21st century
Dariusz Brzeziński
Sigma Barrowman and the West
Sigma Barrowman and the West
Jack Palmer
Theory and Society
Theory and Society
Dariusz Brzeziński
Zygmunt Bauman
Thomas P. Campbell
Jack Palmer
Davis, Mark
Modernity and the Holocaust
Modernity and the Holocaust
Zygmunt Bauman
In 'Modernity and the Holocaust', Zygmunt Bauman argues that the Holocaust was not an aberration from modernity but rather a consequence of its inherent characteristics. He contends that modernity's emphasis on procedural rationality, division of labor, and bureaucratic organization played crucial roles in the execution of the Holocaust. Bauman challenges the common view that the Holocaust was a unique event in Jewish history or a result of German barbarism, instead positing that it was deeply connected to the order-making efforts of modern society. He also discusses how the same processes of exclusion and rationalization that enabled the Holocaust could still be relevant today[1][2][5].
Culture and Art
Jack Palmer
Zygmunt Bauman
Thomas C. Campbell
Dariusz Brzezinski
Davis, Mark
The publication of Theory and Societyin 2024 bought to conclusion a three volume collection of The Selected Writings of Zygmunt Bauman. Preceded by Culture and Art in 2021 and Politics and History in 2023 (all published by Polity Press) these volumes presented essays which either had never been published before, were being made available in English for the first time, or had previously been published but were not well known. The books were hugely influential contributions for scholars of Bauman, who now had access to new texts, in some cases ones which encouraged some rethinking of his project, as well as scholars in social theory, the history of sociology and the themes of each volume. All the volumes were edited by four scholars, three of whom joined me for this podcast: Dariusz Brzeziński, Tom Campbell and Jack Palmer (Mark Davis makes up the team) to discuss the series, including an in-depth discussion of Theory and Society.
As we discuss in the episode, the availability of these texts, especially the translations from Bauman’s pre-exile works in Poland encourage us to look at Bauman’s work as one continuous project founded around a project of humanism and what the editors term the ‘Camus-Gramsci-Mills axis’ which defines his work. But, it also opens new ways of placing Bauman as, for example a scholar of futures and the history of sociology and social thought. We also discuss the significance of the translations of Bauman’s work (performed by Katarzyna Bartoszynska), how the opening of the Janina and Zygmunt Bauman papers at the University of Leeds provided a prompt for this project and the relation between Bauman’s work and life circumstances. I also ask the editors to pick their favourite essay from the series.
Your host, Matt Dawson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Glasgow and is the author of G.D.H. Cole and British Sociology: A Study in Semi-Alienation (2024, Palgrave Macmillan), among other books.
New Books in Sociology 