Risk and Technological Culture: Towards a Sociology of Virulence

The question as to whether we are now entering a risk society has become a key debate in contemporary social theory.Risk in a Technological Agepresents a critical overview of the main theories of risk--from Ulrich Beck's foundational work to that of his contemporaries, Anthony Giddens and Scott Lash, and assesses the extent to which risk has impacted on modern societies. In this discussion van Loon demonstrates how new technologies are transforming the character of risk and examines the relationship between technological culture and society through substantive chapters on topics such as ecology, violent crime and communication technologies.

Joost Van Loon is Senior Lecturer in Social Theory at the Nottingham Trent University.