"This book investigates civilizations through the works of Max Weber. Articulating his sociology in a manner that provides clear guidelines for the systematic investigation of civilizations, the volume focuses upon his 'big picture' themes: his comparative-historical methodology and his causal explanations for the singular sources, contours, and trajectories of civilizations. Through detailed interpretations of Weber's wide-scope and configurational analysis of the West's unique development from Antiquity to the Modern era, his forceful comparisons to the discrete pathways taken by China and India, and his careful demarcation of the 'particular rationalism' of several civilizations, the author examines Weber's stark opposition to organic holism, mono-causal procedures, and structural presuppositions. As such, this study masterfully conveys his contextual and multi-causal mode of analysis rooted in a tight interweaving of the present with the past. Weber's research strategies also emphasize both the 'subjective meanings' of actors East and West and the deep cultural and long-range origins of their salient groups. In this way, social scientists pursuing a cross-civilizational agenda will be able to discover Weberian 'interpretive understanding' procedures for empirical investigations. Max Weber's Sociology of Civilizations: A Reconstruction will contribute decisively and significantly to the now-essential field of civilizational analysis, and will appeal to comparative sociologists and historians, as well as to social theorists of all persuasions"--
This volume examines civilizations through the broad lens articulated by the works of Max Weber. In focusing upon his comparative-historical mode of analysis and his causal explanations for the sources, contours, and trajectories of civilizations, this study reconstructs Webers sociology in a manner that provides clear guidelines to researchers seeking to investigate civilizations systematically. Through detailed interpretations of the Wests unique development from Antiquity to the Modern era, precise comparisons to the long-range and singular pathways taken by China and India, and careful demarcations of the "particular rationalisms" of several civilizations, the author addresses Webers powerful model-building on the one hand and his opposition to organic holism and structural presuppositions on the other hand. Both a broad-ranging conceptual framework and case-based empirical investigations are pivotal to Weber. His research strategy emphasizes further the "subjective meanings" of actors East and West and the deep cultural origins of groups. Finally, this volume masterfully conveys Webers contextual and multi-causal methodology rooted in a tight interweaving of the present with the past. Max Webers Sociology of Civilizations: A Reconstruction will appeal to comparative sociologists and historians, as well as to theorists of all persuasions. The social scientist pursuing a cross-civilizational agenda will here discover the distinct contribution of Webers "interpretive understanding" procedures to the now-essential field of civilizational analysis.
This book contributes to the establishment of the new field of civilizational analysis. A guidebook that assists social scientists in identifying and explaining the origins, contours, and trajectories of civilizations, it approaches the analysis of civilizations through the works of Max Weber.
Introduction Part I: Weber's Major Themes and the Foundational Features
of His Methodology
1. Five Civilizations Themes
2. The Methodology:
Foundational Features and the Mode of Analysis Part II: The Conceptual
Framework I: The Rationalization of Social Action Models and the Development
Models
3. The Rationalization of Social Action Models: The Overarching
Civilizations Theme
4. The Rationalization of Social Action Model I: The
Rulership Domain
5. The Rationalization of Social Action Model II: The Law
Domain
6. The Rationalization of Social Action Model III: The Religion Domain
7. The Rationalization of Social Action Model IV: The Economy Domain Part
III: The Conceptual Framework II: Expanding its Range and Evaluating its
Usefulness
8. Weber's Further Models Salient to the Analysis of Civilizations
9. Evaluating the Conceptual Component: Strengths and Weaknesses of the
Civilizations Analytic Part IV: The Application of Weber's Mode of
Civilizational Analysis I: The Origins, Contours, and Trajectories of the
Rationalisms of Ancient China and Ancient and Medieval India
10. The Unique
Rationalism of Ancient China
11. The Unique Rationalism of Ancient and
Medieval India Part V: Applications of Weber's Mode of Civilizational
Analysis II: The Origins, Contours, and Trajectory of Western Rationalism and
Modern Western Rationalism
12. The Rationalism of the Ancient West: The
Tracks, Monotheism, World-Oriented Salvation Paths, the City, and Ancient
Roman Law
13. The Uniqueness and Rise of Modern Western Democracy and
Egalitarianism
14. The Uniqueness and Rise of the Modern State: Legal
Equality and Universalism
15. The Uniqueness and Rise of Modern Capitalism
16. The Uniqueness and Rise of Logical-Formal Law
17. The Uniqueness and Rise
of the Modern Bureaucracy
18. The Uniqueness and Rise of the World-Oriented
Ethical Individual
19. The Uniqueness and Rise of Western Rationalism and
Modern Western Rationalism: An Overview Part VI: Toward a Systematic Study of
Civilizations: Themes and Methodology Revisited
20. Weber's Main Themes
Revisited
21. Weber's Methodology Revisited: The Mode of Analysis Part VII:
The Interpretive Understanding of Civilizations: A Weberian Guide
22. Lessons
for Today: A Weberian Guide
23. The Interpretive Understanding of the Other:
Expanding the Researcher's Horizon
Stephen Kalberg is Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Boston University and Local Affiliate of the Center for European Studies, Harvard University, USA. He is the author of Max Webers Comparative-Historical Sociology; The Social Thought of Max Weber; Searching for the Spirit of American Democracy: Max Webers Analysis of a Unique Political Culture; and Max Webers Comparative-Historical Sociology Today. He is also the editor of Max Weber: Readings and Commentary on Modernity, and the translator of Webers The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
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