Towards a society of valuation?

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Thorsten Peetz, since 10/2022
• Subject Area: Sociological Theory
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 390589611

Since the beginning of this decade, the sociology of valuation is scrutinizing phenomena like comparisons, evaluations, rankings, and ratings. Yet, it still refrains from attempts to identify overarching societal developments and tendencies. The proposed network approaches this desideratum by assembling members who address phenomena of valuation from different theoretical and empirical perspectives. It will integrate sociological expertise on valuation in diverse societal spheres and enable integrated analyses via comparisons of these spheres. It starts with the hypothesis that valuations not only abound throughout society, but that they are recently expanding, intensifying and transforming themselves: We are on our way to a valuation society - enabled by processes of quantification, standardization, digitalization, algorithmization, popularization and amateurization. The network will discuss the theoretical foundations of the sociology of valuation, identify developments in distinct spheres of valuation and reconstruct overarching tendencies. On this basis, the turn to valuation society will be discussed in terms of a theory of society: What are its consequences regarding social differentiation, inequality, participation and subjectification, and where are potential signs of resistance?

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Anne K. Krüger
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Hilmar Schäfer, from 7/2020 until 9/2022