Project description
Civil society elites’ role in European history
It is widely believed that the actions taken by civil society leaders since the mid 1800s have significantly impacted the moral values of nations. However, the question of how and why these leaders became integrated into their respective national moral frameworks and what consequences arose from their involvement remains open. The EU-funded MORALITES project examines how civil society elites have become integrated into the moral fabric of four European countries. It explores the historical impact of civil society elites, challenges the compartmentalisation within social science, and establishes new methods. MORALITES seeks to better understand the role played by civil society elites in the stabilisation of democratic institutions, the development of social policies and the regulation of the economy.
Objective
Objective: Conduct a ground-breaking historical-relational comparative study of civil society elites’ integration in and effects on four European countries’ moral economies, explaining diverging paths through career trajectories and position-takings.
Question: Why, how, and with what consequences were civil society elites historically integrated into national moral economies?
Hypothesis: The position and position-taking of civil society elites since the mid-19th century crucially shaped national moral economies.
Motivation and scientific significance: Counters the almost completely neglected historical impact of civil society elites in elite studies, civil society scholarship, welfare state research, and political economy; challenges compartmentalisation of social science through comprehensive theoretical framework; breaks new methodological ground in integrating career trajectory analysis and NLP topic modelling textual analysis; significantly reorients scientific and public understanding of the historical role of civil society elites.
Societal value: Strengthens transparency and accountability of civil society elites by pinpointing their historically changing dependencies; enhances the understanding of the role of civil society elites in stabilising and deepening democratic institutions, social policies, and regulation of the economy.
Profile of PI: Strong background in historical sociology, civil society research, welfare state research, sociology of religion; strong international network with several European and US American universities; organiser of and presenter at international conferences; ambitious and original academic publishing record highly relevant to the project proposal’s study object and theoretical and methodological approach.
Key deliverables: At least three quality journal articles per PhD candidate and two per post doc; two cross-WP theoretical and methodological articles and a cross-WP monograph; two edited volumes or spec
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
2000 Frederiksberg
Denmark