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.
• A convenient and authoritative introduction to one of the world’s most influential social scientists • A genuinely international and interdisciplinary team of top scholars • Discussions of aspects of Weber’s work, including industrial psychology, not discussed elsewhere in English
Contents
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.
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