Mode 2: Theory or Social Diagnosis?

Abstract

Janus Hansen’s essay examines in how far the Mode 2 concept (Gibbons et al. 1994, Nowotny et al. 2001) is applicable as a theoretical or analytical concept for a cross-national comparison of public engagement practices. Influenced by reflections on socially robust knowledge production and the role of science in society by Gibbons and Nowotny et al., Hansen begins his essay with the observation of a rising demand for public engagement (Gibbons et al. 1994, Nowotny et al. 2001). In the course of the article he confronts the Mode 2 concept with competing sociological approaches, in particular Luhmann’s systems theoretical approach (Luhmann 1984) and Jasanoff’s concept of political culture (Jasanoff 2005).