Cheryl Lousley explores Ulrich Beck’s examination of the social and political dimensions of environmental risks in Risk Society. Beck argues that risks are produced and distributed, becoming sites of political conflict and social-identity formation and Beck’s concept of “cosmopolitanization,” detailed in World at Risk, describes global risk production and the creation of global subjects. Hereby, Lousley criticizes this notion for its abstraction and lack of focus on power relations. She emphasizes the need for nuanced analysis of power dynamics to facilitate environmental sustainability and justice. Beck’s “enforced cosmopolitanization” suggests an inevitable, coercive global unity, which raises concerns about political agency and power disparities.
DOI: