The challenges of communication in a context of crisis: troubles, misunderstandings and discords.

Abstract

Although this is an international book, in the sense that its authors, as well as its theoretical frames of reference, are themselves international, we think that this is a good opportunity to address some very basic issues about the process of practicing sociology through the ‘pragmatic’ reference frame in the country of some of its editors, Portugal. As a matter of fact, the works which are integrated in this volume are inspired by the plural theoretical framework of pragmatic sociology and are inserted in the dynamic of research which began at CICS.NOVA-Interdisciplinary Center of Social Sciences – Making, unmaking and remaking the common in the plural in modern sociality: controversies, recognition and vulnerabilities –, more than a decade ago, with the work of José Resende, strongly inspired in the work of Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot and, more recently, especially by the work of the latter author. Researchers in this group – the collective named Pragmaticus – have been producing research about various themes – from education to health care, from political socialization to professional demands, from public controversies to proximity regimes of engagement –, which we will not try to synthesize here. Nevertheless, we would like to say some very brief words about the work which has been (and is) being made, namely trying to identify some challenges which pragmatic sociology leaves us and, also, to Portuguese sociology and Portuguese sociologists as whole, challenges which we think the researchers in this collective, our research group, try to integrate in their research processes. Of course, what is about to be said has no intent of being thorough or exhaustive.