Abstract

In this first chapter, I would like to start with what moves the whole book—and perhaps all sociological inquiry. It is not a mere intellectual passion for studying theories on societies or for reflecting on research per se that motivates thousands of social researchers all over the world; rather, this book—as is the case with many of my colleagues—is motivated by the profound feeling that action must be taken against suffering. Suffering is central to society and central to research on society. However, it is a term that is difficult to grasp, as it includes so many aspects at the same time. Therefore, I start by conceptualizing suffering, as a key concept of modernity, as social suffering; I conceptualize suffering, as a normative concept representing disrespect, as a source of critique and as a universal language.