Knowledge Society

Founding this book on Berger and Luckmann's sociology of knowledge, A.-K. Hornidge assesses knowledge society as a social construction of reality that orients and motivates actors to the effect that they finally create what they conceive as being objective. This process of construction is redrawn with reference to Germany and Singapore by assessing state activities and their inherent, country-specific definitions of knowledge society. The book ends with a discussion of the construct as economic and technological programme as well as new focal point of collective identity that reduces felt insecurities and risks within the second modernity.

The Center for Development Research (ZEF) is an international and interdisciplinary academic research institute of the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Germany. ZEF's research aims at finding solutions to global development issues. A 10 years strategy plan outlines land- and water use, biodiversity, public health and renewable energies as priority transdisciplinary research areas.



ZEF's three research departments are:

Political and Cultural Change (ZEF a)

Economic and Technological Change (ZEF b)

Ecology and Natural Resources Management (ZEF c)

The Author

Anna-Katharina Hornidge is Senior Researcher at the Center for Development Research, University of Bonn, where she coordinates a research group on Culture, Knowledge and Development. She has done extensive field research on Singapore's and Germany's science policies and is now concentrating her research on renewable energies.



The Editors

Solvay Gerke is Professor of Development Studies and Director, ZEF, University of Bonn. Hans-Dieter Evers is Professor emeritus of Development Planning and Development Policy and Senior Fellow, ZEF , University of Bonn.