Max Weber's sociology: from 'The protestant ethic thesis' and the American political culture to a sociology of civilizations
In: Routledge studies in social and political thought
"This volume outlines Max Weber's comparative-historical sociology of 'interpretive understanding' (verstehen) in a manner that clarifies his complex mode of analysis and multicausal focus. Presenting the central features of his methodology, it offers a series of chapters that demonstrate the analytic strengths of his research strategies through discussions of his major works and overarching concerns, including the origins of the American political culture and the longevity of its civic sphere as well as the multiple causes behind the unique historical pathways taken by great civilizations. Indeed, through a summary of Weber's causal procedures and their application by reference to his own empirical studies, Max Weber's Sociology maintains an orientation to both his 'big picture' themes and his rigorous manner of analysis. In so doing, it demonstrates the capacity of Weber's sociology to ground firmly both "ideal-type" theorizing and empirically-oriented investigations. This volume will appeal to scholars throughout the social sciences with interests in the American civic sphere, political and economic cultures in general, the West's uniqueness, "the Protestant ethic thesis," sociological theory, the multiple ways that civilizations arise and develop, and the diverse twists and turns of Weber's comparative-historical sociology"--