The emergence of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa （the BRICS） poses important challenges to social scientists in these five countries. Increasing contact among the BRICS countries is resulting in greate...The emergence of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa （the BRICS） poses important challenges to social scientists in these five countries. Increasing contact among the BRICS countries is resulting in greater awareness of differences. Conflicts among them are inevitable. This paper focuses upon the relations between social actors from the BRICS countries, and is written from a Brazilian perspective. After a brief examination of the BRICS concept and a review of some contemporary challenges to sociological research and visions of globalisation, the paper will examine three distinct dimensions of relations between BRICS partners in a globalising world： supra-national organisation, economic and cultural exchanges（ Wieviorka 2008 ）. The key assumption of this paper is that it is necessary to build research agenda that can help develop sociological knowledge and provide a basis for building mutual understanding of the diverse forms of social interaction produced when actors from these countries enter into contact with each other. For example, increasingly cultural content produced in each of the BRICS is transmitted to others, the study of how such content is received and incorporated into the world views of different categories of receivers, especially youth, appears as a fertile area for study. The analysis of emergent conflicts is also an area to which sociological analysis can make an important contribution. As the BRICS develop, meaningful dialogue becomes both a value and a necessity. The aim of the paper is to structure a research agenda for the new times.展开更多
文摘The emergence of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa （the BRICS） poses important challenges to social scientists in these five countries. Increasing contact among the BRICS countries is resulting in greater awareness of differences. Conflicts among them are inevitable. This paper focuses upon the relations between social actors from the BRICS countries, and is written from a Brazilian perspective. After a brief examination of the BRICS concept and a review of some contemporary challenges to sociological research and visions of globalisation, the paper will examine three distinct dimensions of relations between BRICS partners in a globalising world： supra-national organisation, economic and cultural exchanges（ Wieviorka 2008 ）. The key assumption of this paper is that it is necessary to build research agenda that can help develop sociological knowledge and provide a basis for building mutual understanding of the diverse forms of social interaction produced when actors from these countries enter into contact with each other. For example, increasingly cultural content produced in each of the BRICS is transmitted to others, the study of how such content is received and incorporated into the world views of different categories of receivers, especially youth, appears as a fertile area for study. The analysis of emergent conflicts is also an area to which sociological analysis can make an important contribution. As the BRICS develop, meaningful dialogue becomes both a value and a necessity. The aim of the paper is to structure a research agenda for the new times.
