Yong-Chool Ha (University Of Washington, USA): Tradition and overcoming universalism in the social sciences

Universalism has long been lost in the social sciences without the emergence of alternatives. The prevalent political economy paradigm has paid little attention to macro social changes. Rational choice is more about methodology than a framework approach and understanding macro trends in society and politics. We have been living without a sense of the whole under the hypnotic influence of new technologies.
If Marxism or functionalism is no longer adequate, what would be an alternative to draw a picture of society as a whole? Dr. Ha goes beyond deconstructing universalistic thinking about social change by proposing tradition as a way to understand social changes in late industrialization. Based on the comparative observations of tradition in South Korea, Japan, Germany and the Soviet Union, Dr. Ha argues that tradition is a critical factor in the analysis of social change under late industrialization. Based on a different interpretation of the role of tradition in late industrialization, Dr. Ha presents alternative ways to approach democratization, civil society and international relations.

Date: April, 6 (online)

Time: 10:00-11:30

Language: ENG