Resonance: the Concept’s Political Uses and Potential

The concept of resonance, introduced in Hartmut Rosa’s 2016 book and enriched through a series of subsequent publications, constitutes the centerpiece of both a novel sociological theory and an important step forward in contemporary critical theory. Indeed, Rosa’s ambitious project is both descriptive and normative, simultaneously offering a fresh conceptual apparatus for future sociological research and strikingly innovative tools for renewing the critical tradition in social philosophy. In this workshop, we seek to explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding the potential political uses of resonance. We discuss the concept’s capacity as a collective action frame, the context and scales at which it might have particularly strong analytical purchase and the possible limits of resonance when it comes to understanding and shaping the political field stricto sensu.