Issues of social inclusion, justice, and the challenges of the digital age were at the center of the presentation of the book “Traces of Justice – From Cosmopolis to Algorithm” by Dr. Goran Bašić, published by the Institute of Social Sciences, organized at the invitation of the Centre for International and Security Studies of the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb.
The promotion of this valuable publication gathered numerous members of the academic community and stimulated discussion on contemporary social inequalities and the role of knowledge in overcoming them. The book was presented by Assistant Professor Ana Matan from the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, and Professor Natalija Perišić from the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Belgrade, while the moderator was Professor Siniša Tatalović.
Professor Natalija Perišić emphasized that the author points out a frequently cited statement that the economic crisis in Europe revealed that, without solidarity, social inclusion shifts from the domain of rights to the domain of obligations.
“The book presents broad opportunities that digital transformation has opened for innovation, but also the risks of new forms of exclusion, as well as the growing technological gap across different areas and on various grounds in European societies. The issue of social inclusion in Serbia is approached, among other things, from the perspective of contradictions identified by the author in existing practices. He thus analyzes contradictions related to the inclusion of Roma men and women, as well as in employment policy. This chapter concludes with the presentation of positive practices of solidarity and empathy, which are local in nature, but reassure readers that they can be applied beyond that context,” said Professor Natalija Perišić.
Assistant Professor Ana Matan from the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb focused primarily on the parts of the book dealing with justice, that is, theories of justice and justice in society.
“All major European Union strategies have been implemented in national strategies as well. However, their implementation at the local level often proves to be unsustainable, not suited to the local context, or not applicable to certain groups of people. Therefore, it is important to know how to analyze different theories of justice in different countries,” explained Assistant Professor Ana Matan.
The book is divided into five chapters which, together with the introduction and epilogue, form a comprehensive whole addressing the issue of social inclusion. The common conclusion following the presentation was that this monographic scholarly work examines inclusion from a perspective that is unique in our academic thought. The manuscript represents a thorough search for answers to questions about how research on social inequalities can return to its ethical foundations and how knowledge can serve equality.
