Pablo de Marinis is currently Professor of Sociological Theory at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani of the same faculty, he works as a researcher for CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas). There he has been directing for almost 20 years the GEPyC/TS research group (Grupo de Estudios sobre Problemas y Conceptos de la Teoría Sociológica), which in recent years has dealt with the topic of masses and crowds in the social/sociological theory of the global North and South.

He received his diploma in sociology from the University of Buenos Aires (1991) and his doctorate (Dr. Phil) from the University of Hamburg (1997). In addition to his activities in his home country (Argentina), he has completed various teaching and research stays in Spain, Mexico and Brazil. His publications can be viewed and downloaded at https://uba.academia.edu/PablodeMarinis. They reflect his research interests, which always revolve around social and sociological theory, Latin American social theory, theoretical research methods, and the political geography of knowledge.

Despite his interest in theoretical issues, he is far from seeing his theory studies as a purely abstract “theorist” task. Accordingly, his research stay at HIAS pursues a broad main objective: to contribute to the elaboration of a theory of peripheral modernity, based on the dimensions of ‘capitalism’ and ‘democracy’, with a particular focus on Latin America (especially Argentina), and on the position of the ‘masses’ and the ‘crowds’ there. The aim is to elaborate a set of general abstract theoretical references, but which can be deployed in more narrowly defined studies, in specific historical periods, and in specific social domains.

Both analytical dimensions (capitalism and democracy) will be articulated in order to identify the modality that their relationship has historically assumed (determination, influence, negation, problematic and parallel coexistence, mutual reinforcement, etc.) in different epochal scenarios, as well as taking into account the role that the masses play or have played there.

De Marinis’ project will briefly reconstruct a long-term historical trajectory, but will then focus on the current epochal scenario, delimiting the main dimensions implied of the concept of ‘mass neoliberalism’, and anticipating its possible analytical outcomes. This mass neoliberalism introduces some novelties compared to former neoliberalisms, as it received a strong additional ‘popular’, ‘massive’, ‘bottom-up’ impulse. It involves a significant degree of voter approval (in formally democratic processes), but also the widespread adoption of certain extremely individualised ‘formats of living’, related to the precariousness of the labour market, to the generalisation of entrepreneurial ideologies, and to the adoption of racist, sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic attitudes.

Pablo de Marinis’ tandempartners are Susanne Krasmann, Professor of Sociology at the University of Hamburg, and Urs Stäheli, Professor of Social Theory at the University of Hamburg.

Pablo de Marinis’ HIAS fellowship is provided by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the federal and state funds acquired by the University of Hamburg in the framework of its Excellence Strategy.