Kirjahaku

Niklas Luhmann offers an accessible introduction to one of the most important sociologists of our time. It presents the key concepts within Luhmann’s multifaceted theory of modern society, and compares them with the work of other key social theorists such as Jürgen Habermas, Michel Foucault, and Zygmunt Bauman.The book pays particular attention to introducing and discussing Luhmann’s original sociological systems theory. It presents a thorough investigation into the different phases of his oeuvre, through which both the shifting emphases as well as the continuities in his thinking are shown. The primary focus of this text is Luhmann’s theory of modern society as being differentiated into a plethora of ‘function systems’ – such as politics, law, and economy – which operate according to their own distinct logics and which cannot interfere with one another. For Luhmann, this functional differentiation works as a bulwark against totalitarian rule, and as such is a key foundation of modern democracy. Furthermore, the book critically examines the implications of this functional differentiation for inclusion and exclusion dynamics, as well as for the understanding of power and politics.This is a key text for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of areas including contemporary social theory, political sociology, and sociology.

Niklas Luhmann offers an accessible introduction to one of the most important sociologists of our time. It presents the key concepts within Luhmann’s multifaceted theory of modern society, and compares them with the work of other key social theorists such as Jürgen Habermas, Michel Foucault, and Zygmunt Bauman.The book pays particular attention to introducing and discussing Luhmann’s original sociological systems theory. It presents a thorough investigation into the different phases of his oeuvre, through which both the shifting emphases as well as the continuities in his thinking are shown. The primary focus of this text is Luhmann’s theory of modern society as being differentiated into a plethora of ‘function systems’ – such as politics, law, and economy – which operate according to their own distinct logics and which cannot interfere with one another. For Luhmann, this functional differentiation works as a bulwark against totalitarian rule, and as such is a key foundation of modern democracy. Furthermore, the book critically examines the implications of this functional differentiation for inclusion and exclusion dynamics, as well as for the understanding of power and politics.This is a key text for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of areas including contemporary social theory, political sociology, and sociology.

This book presents a Foucauldian problematisation analysis of crime, with a particular focus on the twentieth century. It considers how crime has been conceived as problem and, by scrutinising the responses that have been adapted to deal with crime, demonstrates how a range of power modalities have evolved throughout the twentieth century. Christian Borch shows how the tendency of criminologists to focus on either disciplinary power or governmentality has neglected the broader complex of Foucault’s concerns: ignoring its historical underpinnings, whilst for the most part limiting studies to only very recent developments, without giving sufficient attention to their historical backdrop. The book uses developments in Denmark – developments that can be readily identified in most other western countries – as a paradigmatic case for understanding how crime has been problematised in the West. Thus, Foucault, Crime and Power: Problematisations of Crime in the Twentieth Century demonstrates that a Foucauldian approach to crime holds greater analytical potentials for criminological research than have so far been recognized.

When sociology emerged as a discipline in the late nineteenth century, the problem of crowds constituted one of its key concerns. It was argued that crowds shook the foundations of society and led individuals into all sorts of irrational behaviour. Yet crowds were not just something to be fought in the street, they also formed a battleground over how sociology should be demarcated from related disciplines, most notably psychology. In The Politics of Crowds, Christian Borch traces sociological debates on crowds and masses from the birth of sociology until today, with a particular focus on the developments in France, Germany and the USA. The book is a refreshing alternative history of sociology and modern society, observed through society's other, the crowd. Borch shows that the problem of crowds is not just of historical interest: even today the politics of sociology is intertwined with the politics of crowds.

Individuality and collectivity are central concepts in sociological inquiry. Incorporating cultural history, social theory, urban and economic sociology, Borch proposes an innovative rethinking of these key terms and their interconnections via the concept of the social avalanche. Drawing on classical sociology, he argues that while individuality embodies a tension between the collective and individual autonomy, certain situations, such as crowds and other moments of group behaviour, can subsume the individual entirely within the collective. These events, or social avalanches, produce an experience of being swept away suddenly and losing one's sense of self. Cities are often on the verge of social avalanches, their urban inhabitants torn between de-individualising external pressure and autonomous self-presentation. Similarly, Borch argues that present-day financial markets, dominated by computerised trading, abound with social avalanches and the tensional interplay of mimesis and autonomous decision-making. Borch argues that it is no longer humans but fully automated algorithms that avalanche in these markets.

Individuality and collectivity are central concepts in sociological inquiry. Incorporating cultural history, social theory, urban and economic sociology, Borch proposes an innovative rethinking of these key terms and their interconnections via the concept of the social avalanche. Drawing on classical sociology, he argues that while individuality embodies a tension between the collective and individual autonomy, certain situations, such as crowds and other moments of group behaviour, can subsume the individual entirely within the collective. These events, or social avalanches, produce an experience of being swept away suddenly and losing one's sense of self. Cities are often on the verge of social avalanches, their urban inhabitants torn between de-individualising external pressure and autonomous self-presentation. Similarly, Borch argues that present-day financial markets, dominated by computerised trading, abound with social avalanches and the tensional interplay of mimesis and autonomous decision-making. Borch argues that it is no longer humans but fully automated algorithms that avalanche in these markets.

This book presents a Foucauldian problematisation analysis of crime, with a particular focus on the twentieth century. It considers how crime has been conceived as problem and, by scrutinising the responses that have been adapted to deal with crime, demonstrates how a range of power modalities have evolved throughout the twentieth century. Christian Borch shows how the tendency of criminologists to focus on either disciplinary power or governmentality has neglected the broader complex of Foucault’s concerns: ignoring its historical underpinnings, whilst for the most part limiting studies to only very recent developments, without giving sufficient attention to their historical backdrop. The book uses developments in Denmark – developments that can be readily identified in most other western countries – as a paradigmatic case for understanding how crime has been problematised in the West. Thus, Foucault, Crime and Power: Problematisations of Crime in the Twentieth Century demonstrates that a Foucauldian approach to crime holds greater analytical potentials for criminological research than have so far been recognized.

Med Banalitetens tyranni er Christian Borch ved veis ende i det som har blitt en serie på tre bøker om det moderne Europa. Der den første boken Salig velstand tok for seg hvilke idealer som kjennetegner vår tid, var oppfølgeren Sannhetens kår en utforskning av hvordan nyliberalistisk filosofi har gjort sitt inntog politikken og hvordan den kommuniseres. Nå foretar Borch en ut-zooming og tar med spisset penn fatt på de store linjene. Fra Margareth Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Kåre Willoch og 1980-tallets frigjøring av markedskreftene, fram til dagens Euro-krise - I følge Borch, er det åpenbart at grunnlaget for dagens vanskelige situasjon ble lagt under markedsfrislippet for 30 år siden. Tilstanden har skapt økonomisk vekst, arbeidsplasser og fremskritt og fått opp farten i fattige land. Men den har også grovt forrykket styrkeforholdet mellom pengemakten og det demokratiske samfunnet. Ikke minst har det skapt en generasjon av individualister og egoister som har undergravd gamle dyder som solidaritet og sosial samvittighet. De som må betale prisen for denne generasjonens råkjør, er barna deres. Banalitetens tyranni er et engasjert og velformulert innlegg i debatten om vår felles framtid, fra en av norsk journalistikks store nestorer. Den er et varsku om en skakkjørt samfunnsordning, men bærer også i seg et håp om en ny generasjon med andre idealer, vaksinert for det Borch kaller «den egosentriske materialismen som preget forgjengerne.»

Konge for sin tid er en klok og medrivende skildring av det moderne Norge og mannen som står på toppen av det, som holder oss sammen i tider da det er mer nødvendig enn noen gang. Hva er det ved måten Kong Harald den V av Norge utøver kongsgjerning på, som gjør den så unik? Er det hans smittende humør, hans umiddelbare evne til å komme i kontakt med alle, høy som lav, uansett plass på samfunnets rangstige? Er det kanskje følelsen av at han er 'hel ved', at han fra den mest pompøse og utstafferte posisjon et moderne demokrati har å by på, aldri forsøker å være noe annet enn seg selv? Christian Borch forteller historien om den tredje generasjon på tronen i verdens eneste folkevalgte monarki, og med kritisk blikk utforsker han den moderne kongerollen og mannen som har fyllt den de siste 30 år, fra Gulfkrigen til Koronakrisen. Med sitt erfarne journalistblikk går Borch opp sporene etter folkekongen, fra barndommen i USA mens landet han var født til å styre var under tysk okkupasjon, gjennom den lange og krevende veien frem til ekteskap nasjonen skulle elske; og en tidvis turbulent tid på tronen, både for privatmannen og monarken, intill han står som selve symbolet for alt som binder oss sammen.

I nesten femti år har Christian Borch stått ringside der beslutninger fattes. Han har seilt i utenriksfart, arbeidet i The Times og Morgenbladet, er utdannet fra London School of Economics og Forsvarets Høyskole. Men for det norske folk er han først og fremst kjent fra NRK, der han har vært en av kanalens synligste og best respekterte medarbeidere gjennom en liten menneskealder. Nå letter han på sløret og gir leseren innsikt i de like dramatiske som avslørende – og ofte absurde – situasjoner en journalist plassert nær maktens kjerne kan komme bort i. Erfaringene skriver seg fra løpende nærkontakt med så forskjellige prosesser som Solidarnosc i Polen, utviklingen i Israel, nedrustningsforhandlinger, bruk av dødsstraff i Texas, forholdene i og til EU, krig i Afghanistan, USA, Treholt-saken og mye, mye mer. Sentralt står forholdet mellom politisk makt, løgn og fordreide virkelighetsbilder, sosial urettferdighet og viljen til å finne en sannhet i det hele.

Machine learning is fundamentally transforming financial markets. Where trading strategies were once crafted by human experts—executed manually or through pre-coded rules—firms now build models that generate the strategies themselves. These are not just tools but trading automatons: semi-independent systems designed to learn from markets and act on their own. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in financial markets, Christian Borch offers a rare inside look at how these systems are built, the risks they pose, and how they challenge our understanding of markets and decision-making. As trading automatons grow more complex and opaque—even to their designers—new sociological questions emerge: What happens when machines become the primary agents in markets? And how should we understand economic action when human judgment is no longer at the center? Trading Beyond Understanding is a powerful investigation of machine agency, market transformation, and the shifting boundaries between technological systems and social life.

Machine learning is fundamentally transforming financial markets. Where trading strategies were once crafted by human experts—executed manually or through pre-coded rules—firms now build models that generate the strategies themselves. These are not just tools but trading automatons: semi-independent systems designed to learn from markets and act on their own. Drawing on over a decade of fieldwork in financial markets, Christian Borch offers a rare inside look at how these systems are built, the risks they pose, and how they challenge our understanding of markets and decision-making. As trading automatons grow more complex and opaque—even to their designers—new sociological questions emerge: What happens when machines become the primary agents in markets? And how should we understand economic action when human judgment is no longer at the center? Trading Beyond Understanding is a powerful investigation of machine agency, market transformation, and the shifting boundaries between technological systems and social life.