Sociology

‘Fraternal love everywhere brings about positive social relations that are capable of increasing solidarity, justice and happiness among human beings. Our experience going back sixty years tells us that these fraternal relationships lived in the daily business of personal, family and social life, as well in political institutions and economic structures, liberate unexpected moral and spiritual resources. These are new kinds of relationship, full of meaning, which give rise to the widest range of initiatives, which create structures that benefit individuals and communities.’

From Chiara Lubich’s message to the Congress of Social-One, ‘Social Relationship and Fraternity: Paradox or Sustainable Model?’, Castelgandolfo, 11 February 2005.

In Chiara Lubich’s charism, which has been recognized as significant for various fields of culture by several universities (of both catholic and non-catholic foundation), there are elements that offer social scientists, working within the constraints of their discipline, the possibility of generating new ideas, new theories and new perspectives. This conviction is shared by sociologists and students of social work meeting together as the international group called Social-One.

Drawing from the charism of unity, Social-One first of all strives to grasp the points for reflection and research, and the interpretative keys useful to the understanding of social reality, in such a way as to develop innovative concepts and models capable of directing social dynamics towards the achievement of a more united world.

Social-One has an experience of life, study and discussion that takes place via a dynamic dialogue of listening and mutual openness. It considers sociological concepts such as ‘respect’, ‘gift’, ‘solidarity’, ‘agape’, understood as fraternal love without self-interest. It the last few years it has focused on the topic of ‘agapic behaviour’, holding seminars and international congresses.

Social-One’s central research group meets regularly in Rome and it is in contact with a worldwide network of scholars. This network in based especially upon groups of researchers in Italy, Belgium, Argentina and Brazil.

To find out more: http://social-one.org

International Administrative Centre of Social-One

Via Frascati, 306

00040 Rocca di Papa (Roma) – IT

tel. +39-06-9454 07208

Fax +39-06-9412080

email: social-one@focolare.org