The Making of Market Societies A challenge for sociology-some Polish voices which need to be listened to!

Some pointers How CEE sociologists have reached a reflexive understanding of their changing societies and their role in it. Confrontation of indigenous emergent conceptual apparatus with the imitative western understandings- what do they see as applicable to the process- anticipatory scholarship? External normative order vs internally generated normative orders- peripheral status points to specificity! Less adaptive more constructivist Moralised markets

Transformation rather than transition-object to subject- “ Sociologists began to study the gradual social anchoring of new rules and their legalisation at the level of the individual. Sources of change were located in processes of social construction and symbolic negotiation”. Poles were seen as owners of assets, cultural and social.. society was no longer object of reforms from above but the motor force of change were people in their roles and subjects” Kolasa-Nowak

Examples Poles see social conflict in moral, historical and ideological categories less class or even regimes. “ Poles accept Polish capitalism but not its capitalists” Gardawski- e.g. skilled workers are incorporated into the system but not accepting of its rules- hence egalitarian and interventionist demands when they benefit from the existing market order. Research into social exclusion and poverty, homelessness as well as new consumerism

Social capital and trust Poles have low social capital and trust How is trust being actively created? High levels of access to internet and high levels of net sociability- Pew Global Attitudes have 43% using social networking sites- close to UK (43%) and US (46%)-82% of year olds. 6.5 million registered with one auction portal (Allegro) with 4 million trades per day. E bay is losing out. Trust is built and reflected through moral control of participants and the norms they establish. Pay more for trustworthy exchange than most profitable. Durkeim revived. (B.Mika Networks of Trust). New milieux of norm creation- Solidarity to Smolensk

Moralised markets “ Markets are explicitly moral projects saturated with normativity” (Fourcade and Healy) What is the role of social scientists not just in understanding this societal project but their role in it. Especially in CEE transformation where the shift from the distributive order of party state with weak ethical Marxism to robust consumerist driven market orders raises important questions of social solidarity and market legitimacy of the latter.

Sources of legitimacy Meritocracy, social mobility, Civic integration through rights and responsibilities- underdeveloped New class order- transfer rather than mobility Markets and morality are connected through citizenship- laissez-faire and loyalty, bonuses and benefits, How actors learn to be consumers, to deal with poverty, accept secularism, within a globalising context- will decide on the quality of the market order that emerges.