Max Weber’s Sociology: From ’The Protestant Ethic Thesis’ and the American Political Culture to a Sociology of Civilizations

This volume outlines Max Weber’s comparative-historical sociology of ＂interpretive understanding＂ (verstehen) in a manner that clarifies his complex mode of analysis and multi-causal focus. Presenting the central features of his methodology, it demonstrates the strengths of his research strategies through discussions of his major works and overarching concerns. Among other themes, this study addresses the origins of the American political culture, the longevity of its civic sphere, and the multiple causes behind the unique historical pathways followed by several civilizations. Indeed, through summaries of Weber’s procedures and their application in his own empirical studies, Max Weber’s Sociology sustains a simultaneous orientation to his ＂big picture＂ themes and his rigorous manner of analysis. It demonstrates in so doing 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, the West’s uniqueness, ＂the Protestant ethic thesis,＂ the multiple ways that civilizations develop, and the diverse twists and turns of Weber’s comparative-historical sociology.

Stephen Kalberg is Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Boston University and a Local Affiliate of the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. He is the author of Max Weber’s Sociology of Civilizations: A Reconstruction, Max Weber’s Comparative-Historical Sociology; The Social Thought of Max Weber; Searching for the Spirit of American Democracy: Max Weber’s Analysis of a Unique Political Culture; and Max Weber’s Comparative-Historical Sociology Today. He is also the editor of Max Weber: Readings and Commentary on Modernity, and the translator of Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.