A Tribute to Arpad Szakolczai

It is an arduous task to write an introduction to a Festschrift for Arpad Szakolczai, and for at least two reasons. First of all, Arpad’s work comprises more than 20 books and more than a hundred articles and book chapters. His work stretches across multiple disciplines, from sociology to anthropology, archeology, literature, philosophy to social and political theory – and with striking insights that run between and above those disciplinary demarcations. Beyond the question of numbers, each and every single one of his publications contains deep and vital insights into the contemporary condition. None of his publications are simply extensions of his previous writings. It is a remarkable fact that an author who defies quantifiable metrics of research “excellence” and who openly takes a distance from prevailing academic jargons of “innovation” must be considered one of the most prolific and innovative thinkers of his generation – and surely a serious contender for the most important and innovative thinker of the social sciences today. Second of all, I have known Arpad as a teacher, mentor and close collaborator for nearly three decades. His work has shaped my own thinking to such an extent that I am unsure how to even decipher it. How on earth to say something meaningful about the life and work of Arpad Szakolczai condensed into a few pages?