The Cambridge Companion to Weber

This Companion introduces Max Weber, one of the very greatest figures in the history of the social sciences.

Stephen Turner (Edited by)

9780521567534, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 13 April 2000

312 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.468 kg

"...very high quality." Choice

Max Weber is indubitably one of the very greatest figures in the history of the social sciences, the source of seminal concepts like 'the Protestant Ethic', 'charisma' and the idea of historical processes of 'rationalization'. But, like his great forebears Adam Smith and Karl Marx, Weber's work always resists easy categorisation. Prominent as a founding father of sociology, Weber has been a major influence in the study of ancient history, religion, economics, law and, more recently, cultural studies. This Cambridge Companion provides an authoritative introduction to the major facets of his thought, including several (like industrial psychology) which have hitherto been neglected. A distinguished international team of contributors examines some of the major controversies that have erupted over Weber's specialized work, and shows how the issues have developed since he wrote. The articles demonstrate Weber's impact on a variety of research areas.

Contributors
Acknowledgements
Chronology of Weber's life
Abbreviations
Introduction Stephen P. Turner
Part I. Rationality, Rationalization and Psychology: 1. Rationality, economy and society Jon Elster
2. Rationalization and culture Alan Sica
3. Psychophysics of culture Wolfgang Schluchter
Part II. Politics and Culture: 4. The rule of man over man: politics, power and legitimation Peter Lassman
5. Weber on the cultural situation of the modern age Lawrence A. Scaff
6. Global capitalism and multi-ethnicity: Max Weber then and now Guenther Roth
7. Constitutional Caesarism: Weber's politics in their German context Sven Eliaeson
Part III. Religions and their Economic Ethics: 8. Max Weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Alistair Hamilton
9. Max Weber's Orient John Love
10. Max Weber's Ancient Judaism John Love
Part IV. Law and Economics: 11. Weber as legal historian Harold J. Berman and Charles J. Reid Jr
12. From agrarian history to cross-cultural comparisons: Weber on Greco-Roman antiquity Wilfried Nippel
13. Max Weber as economist and economic historian Stanley L. Engerman
Further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Philosophy [HP]