járrözés

Járrözés is a term used in speculative social theory to describe the process by which communities reorganize their social orders after a disruptive event. It denotes a gradual, bottom-up adaptation of norms, institutions, and identities that emerges from local interactions rather than centralized planning. In this sense, járrözés emphasizes collective learning and self-organization as responses to crisis.

Origins and usage: The term is relatively recent in Hungarian-language discourse and appears mainly in speculative fiction, interdisciplinary essays on resilience, and theoretical discussions about social change. Definitions vary, but most accounts describe járrözés as a self-organizing process that seeks to restore function while accommodating new realities introduced by disruption.

Mechanism: The process is described as unfolding through stages such as local experimentation with practices, diffusion of successful approaches through social networks, alignment of routines across informal and formal institutions, and stabilization into new norms. Feedback mechanisms reinforce effective adaptations, and external shocks often serve as catalysts that accelerate the process.

Implications: Járrözés offers a lens to analyze resilience, social learning, and decentralized governance. It highlights agency at the community level and the role of informal networks in shaping collective outcomes, particularly in contexts where top-down interventions are limited or slow to operate.

Criticism: Some scholars argue that the concept is underspecified and risks romanticizing informal adaptation. There are concerns about limited empirical validation and challenges in applying the idea across diverse cultural and structural contexts.

See also: resilience, social change, adaptive governance, social networks, crisis management.