Project I: Sociology

The verdict against philistines: Forms, functions and dynamics of the invective against middle social strata in modernity

The Research Project examines the “verdict against philistines”, that is the defamation of middle social strata as conformist and passive, from early 19^th century to the present. The leading question is in what extent this invective has contributed to the dynamisation of social order. The project assumes that the “verdict against philistines” incites conflicts due to its invectiveness and perspectivity, thus addressing social change in a specific manner which makes it a veritable factor of social change.