Relational Goods and Their Subjects: The Ferment of a New Civil Society and Civil Democracy

Contenido principal del artículo

Pierpaolo Donati

Resumen

From some years now, the social sciences have been highlighting the existence of a type of goods that are neither material things, nor ideas, nor functional performances but consist, instead, of social relations and, for this reason, are called relational goods. This contribution proposes to clarify this concept from the viewpoint of relational sociology, which avoids both methodological individualism and holism. Subsequently, it argues that such goods can be produced only by specific social subjects, which the Author calls ‘relational subjects’. Relying upon many theoretical and empirical researches, the paper explains in which sense and in which way relational subjects, and the goods they generate, can contribute to making civil society more robust: that is, no longer the typically capitalist society of the market, but an ‘associational’ society able to sustain a mature democracy.

 

Desde hace algunos años, las ciencias sociales han resaltado la existencia de un tipo de bienes que no son ni cosas materiales, ni ideas, ni prestaciones funcionales pero que consisten, en cambio, en relaciones sociales. Por esta razón se les llama bienes relacionales. Este texto propone aclarar este concepto desde el punto de vista de la sociología relacional, evitando tanto el individualismo como el holismo metodológico. Posteriormente, se argumenta que tales bienes pueden ser producidos únicamente por sujetos sociales específicos, que el autor denomina como «sujetos relacionales». Apoyándose en numerosas investigaciones teóricas y empíricas, el texto explica en qué sentido y de qué manera los sujetos relacionales, y los bienes que generan, pueden contribuir a que la sociedad civil sea más robusta. Entendiéndola no como la sociedad típicamente capitalista de mercado, sino como una sociedad «asociativa» capaz de sostener una democracia madura.

 

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Detalles del artículo

Cómo citar
Donati, P. (2014). Relational Goods and Their Subjects: The Ferment of a New Civil Society and Civil Democracy. RECERCA. Revista De Pensament I Anàlisi, (14), 19–46. Recuperado a partir de https://www.e-revistes.uji.es/index.php/recerca/article/view/1066
Sección
Artículos
Biografía del autor/a

Pierpaolo Donati, Università di Bologna

Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology and Business Law at the University of Bologna (Italy). E-mail address: pierpaolo.donati@unibo.it

Citas

Antoci, A. et al. (2012): «The Solaria Syndrome: Social Capital in a Growing Hyper-Technological Economy», Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, vol. 81, pp. 802-814.

Archer, M. S. (2003): Structure, Agency and the Internal Conversation, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Archer, M. S. (ed.) (2013): Social Morphogenesis, Dordrecht, Springer.

Arendt, H. (1958): The Human Condition, Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Bottomore, T. andT. H. Marshall (1992): Citizenship and Social Class, London, Pluto.

Bruni, L. and S. Zamagni (eds.) (2009): Dizionario di economia, Roma, Città Nuova.

Cortina, A. et al. (eds.) (2008): Public Reason and Applied Ethics. The Ways of Practical Reason in a Pluralist Society, Aldershot, Ashgate.

Donati, P. (1978): Pubblico e privato: fine di una alternativa?, Bologna, Cappelli.

— (ed.) (1989): La cultura della vita. Dalla società tradizionale a quella post-moderna, Milano, FrancoAngeli.

— (2004): «Nuevas políticas sociales y Estado social relacional», Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 108, pp. 9-47.

— (2008): «The Emergent Third Sector in Europe: Actors, Relations and Social Capital» in Anheier, H. K. et al. (eds.) (2008): The Social Generative Action of the Third Sector. Comparing International Experiences, Milano, Vita e Pensiero.

— (2011): Relational Sociology. A New Paradigm for the Social Sciences, New York, Outledge.

— (2012): «Beyond the Market/State Binary Code: The common good as a relational good» in Schlag, M. and J. A. Mercado (eds.) (2012): Free Markets and the Culture of Common Good, New York, Springer.

Donati, P. and R. Prandini (2007): «The Family in the Light of a New Relational Theory of Primary, Secondary and Generalized Social Capital», International Review of Sociology, vol. 17, 2, pp. 209-223.

Donati, P. and R. Solci (2011): I beni relazionali. Che cosa sono e quali effetti producono, Torino, Bollati Boringhieri.

Donati, P. and L. Tronca (2008): Il capitale sociale degli italiani. Le radici familiari, comunitarie e associative del civismo, Milano, FrancoAngeli.

Giddens, A. (1992): The Transformation of Intimacy. Sexuality, Love and Eroticism in Modern Societies, Cambridge, Polity Press.

Godbout, J. (2007): Ce qui circule entre nous. Donner, recevoir, rendre, Paris, Seuil.

Gui, B. (1996): «On «Relational Goods»: Strategic Implications of Investment in Relationships», International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 23, 10/11, pp. 260-278.

Gui, B. and R. Sugden (2005): Economics and Social Interaction: Accounting for Interpersonal Relations, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Marshall, T. H. (1950): Citizenship and Social Class, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Pendenza, M. (2008): Teorie del capitale sociale, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino.

Pollini, G. (2009): «Valori civili, valori familiari ed atteggiamenti civici: il ‘familismo civico’?» in Gubert, R. and G. Pollini (eds.) (2009): Il senso cívico degli italiani. La realtà oltre il pregiudizio, Milano, FrancoAngeli.

Simmel, G. (D. Levine ed.) (1972): Georg Simmel on Individuality and Social Forms: Selected Writings, Chicago, The Chicago University Press.

— (1981): «La sociabilité» in Simmel, G. (1981): Sociologie et épistémologie, Paris, Puf.

Teubner, G. (2012): Verfassungsfragmente: Gesellschaftlicher Konstitutionalismus in der Globalisierung, Berlin, Suhrkamp Verlag.

Uhlaner, C. J. (1989): ««Relational Goods» and Participation. Incorporating Sociability into a Theory of Rational Action», Public Choice, vol. 62, 1989, pp. 253-285.