Inaugural lecture: "Conceptual currency: a sociology of the value of knowledge in times of crisis"
Jörgen Sparf is the new professor of sociology. In his inaugural lecture, he talks about what he means by concepts functioning as a currency.
Resilience, risk, preparedness. Words that once had precise meanings in research now circulate freely between authorities, lobbyists and politics. In his inaugural lecture, Jörgen shows how concepts function as a currency: they make collaboration possible across borders, but risk replacing the knowledge they once stood for.
Based on his research on crisis preparedness and his experiences as an expert in the UN context, Jörgen discusses how expertise is utilised and sometimes overlooked when society encounters crises. With the help of sociological theory, two forces are highlighted: a politics that is moving faster than knowledge can keep up with, and how expertise is increasingly being used in new ways: as legitimacy, as ordering and as a consultancy service. The lecture also highlights that knowledge does not only come from researchers but also from authorities, professionals and people who have been affected themselves.