Abstract

The past few years we have witnessed a proliferation of the New Social Question concept, sometimes referring to very different points of view. The article tries to take stock of the Belgian debate on the New Social Question and, more specifically, seeks to clarify the conceptual validity of the different perspectives at hand. These perspectives are questioned on their face-validity and on their level of theoretical congruence. This results in the elimination of some. Taking Rosanvallon’s notion of increased predictability of social risk as its core, the author argues for a more limited interpretation of the New Social Question. While recognizing the academic relevance of such a concise concept, the article concludes with a list of questions to be adressed in order to clarify and strengthen the concept.

How to Cite:

Manssens, J., (2000) “De nieuwe sociale kwestie gewikt en gewogen: een kritische analyse van een academisch modebegrip”, Tijdschrift voor Sociologie 21(2), 159–179. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sociologos.86499