Ontological unpredictability: what can realists say about unpredictability, contingency and catastrophe?

This paper introduces the original research articles that constitute the present Forum issue on unpredictability, contingency and catastrophe. In doing so, it also identifies and discusses the specificity of realist approaches to the above questions. It is argued that attentiveness to the ontological dimension of (un)predictability opens promising avenues for reflexive approaches to social science and collective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]