Ruth_Levitas

Ruth Levitas

Ruth Levitas

British sociologist

Ruth Levitas (born 15 May 1949 in London) is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Bristol.[1] She is well known internationally for her research on utopia and utopian studies.[2]

Her book, The Concept of Utopia (1990), addresses the notion of the ideal society throughout European history. Her follow-on book, Utopia as Method: The Imaginary Reconstitution of Society (2013), makes the case that 'utopia should be understood as a method rather than a goal.'[3] She has formulated a program of sociology which is fundamentally utopian-focused in conventional sociological discourse.[4]

In The Inclusive Society?: Social Exclusion and New Labour (2005), Levitas introduced the idea of social exclusion as part of the new political language.[5] She also introduced the concepts of MUD (the moral underclass discourse), SID (the social integration discourse), and RED (the redistribution discourse), as tools for analysing social exclusion.[6]

Honors

In 2012 Levitas was awarded the Lyman Tower Sargent Distinguished Scholar Award by the North American Society for Utopian Studies.[7]

References

  1. [1]
    Bristol, University of. "Sociology, Politics and International Studies Directory". www.bristol.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  2. [2]
    Sargent, Lyman Tower (15 August 2013). Freeden, Michael; Stears, Marc (eds.). Ideology and Utopia. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199585977.013.0016.
  3. [3]
    Levitas, Ruth (2013). Utopia as Method. doi:10.1057/9781137314253. ISBN 978-0-230-23197-9.
  4. [4]
    Ruth Levitas, Where there is no vision, the people perish: A utopian ethic for a transformed future, CUSP essay series on the Ethics of Sustainable Prosperity | No 5, https://www.cusp.ac.uk/themes/m/m1-5/#1475182667098-0328ae0f-4bcbf2c7-159e13d8-96cc
  5. [5]
    Levitas, Ruth (2005). The Inclusive Society?. doi:10.1057/9780230511552. ISBN 978-1-4039-4427-6.
  6. [6]
    Higate, Paul (2000). "The Inclusive Society? Social Exclusion and New Labour (Book Review)". Sociology. 34: 358–359. doi:10.1017/s0038038500300232.
  7. [7]
    "Lyman Tower Sargent Award for Distinguished Scholarship". 6 April 2013.


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