U ovom se radu, krećući od sociološke teorije Zygmunta Baumana, raspravljaju s jedne strane izazovi života u lakoj moderni, a s druge strane izazovi znanstvenog promišljanja različitih aspekata lake moderne. U tu se svrhu Baumanove knjige i članci uspoređuju s djelima drugih velikih imena suvremene sociologije poput Jeana Baudrillarda, Anthonyja Giddensa i Ulricha Becka. Ukrštavanje njihovih teza i ocjena o učincima globalizacije na pojedinačne živote te o novim identitetnim politikama navodi na zaključak da je Baumanov doprinos osebujan i iskoristiv za (...) reviziju okoštalih socioloških pogleda na društvo i uloge sociologije u njegovu analiziranju. Opreke proizvodnja/potrošnja, zajednica/individua i sigurnost/ sloboda kod Baumana se provlače kroz ideju protočnosti, mobilnosti i pokretljivosti društva lake moderne, što sociologiji otežava mogućnost odgovaranja na konkretna pitanja te pred nju stavlja nove i sve kompleksnije dijagnostičke zadatke. Dok individualizirano društvo od svojih pripadnika iziskuje biografske odgovore na sistemske kontradikcije, isto to društvo od sociologa iziskuje potragu za odgovorom na nedefinirano pitanje.Starting from the sociological theory of Zygmunt Bauman, this paper discusses, on the one hand, the challenges of life in the so called light modernity and, on the other, the scientific reflection of various aspects of the light modernity. In this context Bauman’s theses on the effects of globalization on individual lives and the new identity politics are compared with the theses offered by sociological classics like Jean Baudrillard, Anthony Giddens and Ulrich Beck. This confrontation spawns the conclusion that Bauman’s original ideas substantially contribute to the revision of rigid sociological perspectives on society as well as the role of sociology in its analysis. Bauman questions the oppositions between production and consumption, individual and community as well as security and freedom through the idea of liquidity and mobility of society in the light modernity, which makes it difficult to sociology to respond to concrete questions and confronts it with the more complex diagnostic tasks. While individualized society requires from its members to offer biographic answers to systemic contradictions, it requires from the sociologist to search for the answer to an undefined question. (shrink)