(b.1944) is professor of sociology at the university of Munich and at the London School of Economics. Among his books are
Deutschlands bekanntester Soziologe ist besorgt: Der alte deutsche D-Mark-Nationalismus finde sich nunmehr in den beinahe imperialistischen Strukturen der EU wieder, sagt Ulrich Beck. An den neu entstandenen finanziellen Abhängigkeiten drohe die Union zu zerreissen. Aber selbst wenn – wäre das tatsächlich so schlimm? Ein Streitgespräch.
While discrepancies between EU member states can be overlooked during win-win periods of growth, recession triggers xenophobic and anti-European reactions in both rich and poor countries. In interview with Nikola Tietze and Ulrich Bielefeld for Mittelweg 36, Ulrich Beck explains how inequality leaves the Union susceptible to decay. Building on the sense of a common European destiny engendered by the crisis, how can Europe be communicated as an opportunity for more power rather than a threat to national sovereignty?
The critique that Europe lacks representative legitimacy may well be correct, argues Ulrich Beck, but not when based on the principle of “no nation, no democracy”. Cosmopolitanization demands post-national approaches to democratic accountability in Europe.
The global terrorist threat is part of the risk society and blurs the distinction between internal and external security. Ulrich Beck concludes that in order to be able to deal with their national problems today’s states have to de-nationalise and transnationalise themselves.
