Skip to main content
  • Book
  • © 2019

The Crisis Paradigm

Description and Prescription in Social and Political Theory

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Draws attention to the way crisis works as a theoretical frame

  • Trace the evolution of this intellectual paradigm throughout the broader history of the 20th century

  • Suggests that the crisis paradigm continues to influence even meta-theoretical reflections of modernity

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check for access.

Table of contents (6 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xii
  2. Introduction: The Crisis Paradigm

    • Andrew Simon Gilbert
    Pages 1-29
  3. Georg Lukács: Rationality and Crisis

    • Andrew Simon Gilbert
    Pages 31-59
  4. Reinhart Koselleck: Demoralizing Crisis

    • Andrew Simon Gilbert
    Pages 61-103
  5. Hannah Arendt: Crisis as Modernity’s Choice

    • Andrew Simon Gilbert
    Pages 105-151
  6. Jürgen Habermas: With and Against the Crisis Paradigm

    • Andrew Simon Gilbert
    Pages 153-205
  7. Conclusion

    • Andrew Simon Gilbert
    Pages 207-221
  8. Back Matter

    Pages 223-247

About this book

This book examines how 20th century theorists have used a discourse of “crisis” to frame their conceptualizations of modernity. Through an investigation of four key thinkers (Georg Lukács, Hannah Arendt, Reinhart Koselleck and Jürgen Habermas), Gilbert argues that scholars in the social sciences and humanities should be cautious of treating crises as explananda for research. Instead, the book calls for sociological analysis of the role of “crisis” within social scientific discourse, and examines how “crisis” has been used as a conceptual frame for legitimating theoretical agendas. Gilbert’s “sociology of concepts” approach presents crisis as a paradigm of modern thought, and, more generally, reflects on how concepts can become the carriers of diverse intellectual traditions and debates. 

The Crisis Paradigm will be of interest to students and scholars of social and critical theory, politics, sociology and history, as well as those working in the fields of media studies, communication and discourse analysis.  


Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Social Inquiry, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia

    Andrew Simon Gilbert

About the author

Andrew Simon Gilbert is an Honorary Research Associate in Sociology at La Trobe University, Australia, and works at the National Ageing Research Institute. He is a Commissioning Editor for the journal Thesis Eleven.


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Crisis Paradigm

  • Book Subtitle: Description and Prescription in Social and Political Theory

  • Authors: Andrew Simon Gilbert

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11060-4

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-11059-8Published: 11 June 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-11060-4Published: 28 May 2019

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XII, 247

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Social Theory, Political Theory, Knowledge - Discourse

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access