Sfide e prospettive della sociologia politica: tra de-politicizzazione del politico e ri-politicizzazione del sociale

The chapter takes stock of recent developments in political sociology in Italy and abroad, as well as of transformations occurring in the relationships between society, polity, politics and policy that foreshadow future changes concerning political actors, ideas, structures, actions and the related social conflicts and stakes. In order to understand these changes sociological knowledge is following new theoretical and methodological paths. In particular, the categories of de-politicisation and re-politicisation, along with the “interpretive” perspective, “grounded theory”, “qualitative comparison”, e-research, updated ethnography and methodologies focusing on symbolic and communicative patterns make it possible to analyse and understand such change. The various forms, meanings and consequences of de-politicisation processes on power, democracy and the public sphere are also understood in the light of those state-market relationships brought about by the neo-liberalisation of public policy, governance and meta-governance. Shifts in regulatory spaces and arenas bring to the fore new political roles for “non-political” actors, such as the producers and retailers of expert knowledge and firms. The latter are becoming themselves prescriptive models in the sense-making processes that frame the emergent forms of “the political” and provide the cognitive and normative bases of contemporary forms of hegemony. Anti-politics and populism are another side of de-politicisation. However, both are partly complemented and partly challenged by the demands of re-politicisation carried by various forms of social resistance and/or resilience. Social movements and new forms of collective action face the effects of the current financial crisis and of the dismantling of the welfare state, deploying old and new repertoires (protest as well as practices involving participation, solidarity, co-operation, and political consumerism) aimed at sustainability, strengthening of social ties, and potentially at broader social transformation. Possible outcomes, which are not to be taken for granted, are counter-hegemony and the related demands for a re-politicisation of social relationships and new forms of democratic power.