Ulrich Beck

About the author

Ulrich Beck (1944–2015) was a German sociologist and one of the most cited social scientists of his era. His work centered on the uncontrollability and uncertainty of modern life, and he coined the influential concepts of "risk society" and "reflexive modernization" — frameworks that reshaped how scholars understand contemporary hazards and change. He also challenged the national focus of mainstream sociology, advancing a cosmopolitan perspective that foregrounded global interconnectedness.

Beck held a professorship at LMU Munich alongside appointments at the London School of Economics and the Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris.