Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissenschaftliche Fakultät - Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften

Der Lehrstuhl „Gesellschaften und Kulturen Südostasiens“ freut sich, Sie zum Vortrag – "Reflexivity and Agency: A plea for a relational approach to elites" von Alejandro Pelfini (Universidad del Salvador) einladen zu dürfen. Der Vortrag findet am Donnerstag 12.06 um 14 Uhr online statt.

"Reflexivity and Agency: A plea for a relational approach to elites"

by Alejandro Pelfini (Universidad del Salvador)

12/06. 2PM. Online.

Abstract:

The growing interest in studying elites and the chasm between citizens and elites in both developed and emerging societies have led to a demand for conceptual renovation and a displacement of a positional (the super-rich) and cartographic (where they are placed and who they relate to) approach to a relational one. The distinction between elites and class allows us to propose a definition based on the more agential and reflexive component of social aggregation vis-a-vis capital endowment (class) and social and lifestyle environment (habitus in a specific milieu). The article focuses on reflexivity as a central attribute of the elites, linked to their intentional activity, aware of the consequences of their decisions and sensitive to signals communicated by the environment and the demands of non-elites. The combination of habitus and reflexivity makes it possible to distinguish a series of typical reactions according to the degree to which each elite can transform itself when faced with turbulent situations.