Over 'de zevende': vijftig jaar PSF-PSCW in Amsterdam

Samenvatting

Discusses the 8-10 Jan 1998 symposium dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the political & social-cultural sciences department (originally the "seventh" or political-social department) of the U of Amsterdam, Netherlands. The history of the department is surveyed, focusing on the controversies surrounding Norbert Elias's figuration sociology in the early 1970s, resulting demise of Marxist sociology, & establishment of the Amsterdam school. Modern developments influenced by Elias as well as other approaches are discussed, noting a thematic emphasis on urban phenomena. The aging of the sociology department is discussed, & it is noted that neither the established department heads nor the university's chairmen appear to be willing to improve the circumstances of promising young researchers. Finally, the speech of the university's president, J. K. M. Gevers, is criticized for attributing university-level problems to the department. 3 References. Adapted from the source document.