Professor Ross MacMillan, Chair of Sociology, University of Limerick

Department of Sociology and Criminology

Tuesday 10th March, 6-7pm (refreshments afterwards)

Department of Sociology and Criminology, Askive, 0.01

Generalized trust is one of the most important concepts in contemporary sociology, yet its origins and social dynamics continue to be debated. At the same time, sociological efforts to identify the sources of trust have typically been very general and often conceptually ambiguous. In this seminar, Professor MacMillan will outline a relational theory of trust that focuses on people’s positions within and experiences of social structures, particularly experiences of precarious work and perhaps existence as precariat workers to describe how emergent features of contemporary labour relations, notably non-indefinite contracts, employment gaps, limited control over one’s labour, limited organizational influence, and financial vulnerability, undermine generalized trust. The discussion of European data highlights theoretical gains associated with a social structural approach in general, the importance of contemporary labour relations for generalized trust, the broader inter-generational class structure of trust, and their collective implications for understanding the dynamics of trust in contemporary society. (abbreviated abstract)