Willem Schinkel

With this page, I intend to keep an interested public informed about my work, which is interdisciplinary though based in sociology. My work spans a variety of topics, ranging from immigrant integration discourse, nationalism in Western Europe and populism to professionalism, secularism and citizenship, violence and terrorism, the sociology of art and the sociology of love. Alongside, I have a general interest in social and political philosophy.

I find theoretical sociology, political philosophy, but also for instance the sociology of art extremely useful in understanding contemporary social life. My work intends to add new perspectives to that social life, of which my work is a part. I try not to offer academic hairsplitting, but perspectives that help orientation in the world, directed towards change.

I am therefore in strong favour of a critical and public sociology, that contributes to social and political orientation in the world. English language publications listed on this website (under the ‘Publications’ button) tend to be more academic, but my engagement in the Dutch public debate has led to quite a few less academic publications in Dutch that are accessible to a wider audience (under the ‘Publicaties (nl)’ button). If you are interested in a publication but have access problems, please email me and I can probably send the text to you.