Conference Report: Cultures of Evaluation

Abstract

Valuation pertains to all realms of social life—from aesthetic judgments in everyday life to grading pupils in school, to the complex evaluation processes found in economic contexts. The conference "Cultures of Evaluation" drew on recent themes advanced by the developing field of the sociology of valuation and evaluation, with a particular focus on culture and knowledge. The contributions to the conference covered different social phenomena related to ascribing and assessing value. Comparing the diverse empirical examples allowed to highlight their similarities and differences. One of the central methodological issues addressed the specific structures as well as outcomes of evaluations in different social fields. The shared topic of valuation also allowed discussing the methodical profile of this field of inquiry, which is currently dominated by interpretative methods.