[Path dependency, bifurcation points and the role of sociology. A sociological attempt at interpreting the corona crisisDépendance au sentier, points de bifurcation et le rôle de la sociologie. Une tentative d'interprétation sociologique de la crise du coronavirus]. / Pfadabhängigkeit, Bifurkationspunkte und die Rolle der Soziologie. Ein soziologischer Deutungsversuch der Corona-Krise.

The contribution begins by attempting to specify the corona crisis' essence and form by means of acceleration theory. In so doing, the diagnosis of a politically induced, objectively measurable deceleration is pivotal. In a second step, the social theoretical conclusions from this diagnosis are drawn in contrast to system theory on the one hand, and neomarxist approaches on the other. The focus is on the argument that the political reaction to SARS-CoV­2 can neither be explained by reference to the principles of functional differentiation nor through the logic of securing political power or through capital accumulation. Following this line of thought, the article maps out the possibilities created by the crisis for societal path and system change, and outlines the role that sociology as a scientific discipline can and should play in this historical situation.

Cet article tente tout d'abord de déterminer plus précisément la nature et les manifestations de la crise du coronavirus à l'aide de la théorie de l'accélération. Dans ce cadre, le constat d'une décélération sociale provoquée par la politique et mesurable objectivement occupe une place centrale. De là, on tire dans un second temps les conséquences de la crise en termes de théorie sociale en la confrontant d'une part à la théorie des systèmes, d'autre part aux approches néo-marxistes. Ce faisant, l'accent est mis sur l'argument selon lequel la réaction politique au virus SARS-CoV­2 ne s'explique ni par les principes de la différenciation fonctionnelle ni par la logique du maintien de la domination ou de l'accumulation du capital. Ensuite, cet article met en évidence les possibilités de changement de sentier ou de système social que recèle cette situation de crise et le rôle que la sociologie peut et devrait jouer en tant que discipline scientifique dans cette situation historique.

Paradoxes of late-modern autonomy imperatives: Reconciling individual claims and institutional demands in everyday practice.

Governmentality studies and social theories agree that in contemporary societies the idea of autonomy is no longer simply an ideal or an individual aspiration but a social obligation. In an attempt to clarify the meaning of autonomy in this day and age, this paper asks how individuals perceive and negotiate the various dimensions of autonomy and how this affects the functioning of late-modern institutions. The empirical insights derived from a qualitative study provide a differentiated picture of how individuals pursue their claims to autonomy and comply with institutional demands for autonomy in everyday practice. By presenting seven types of late-modern "autonomy managers," the analysis evinces a usurpation of autonomous agency that renders individuals the institutional editors of the contemporary contradictions, deficits, and tensions that occur in their everyday interactions. This comes at the price of notionally free but exhausted actors running short of all kinds of resources.