Full Description
Based upon a close reading of the foundational works of Georg Simmel, Max Weber, and the Frankfurt School as well as underexplored other works, Karner critically maps the conceptual approaches and theoretical insights of the German-language sociological tradition onto various 21st-century social and political issues.
Karner demonstrates that a revisiting of classical German-language sociology, combined with a critical engagement with more recent and current contributions, offers vital insights for a globally-oriented political sociology for the present and future. In doing so, this book critically interrogates definitions of "the social", questions of power, public spheres, cultural meanings, the historical particularities of the present, and sociologists' public roles and responsibilities.
This book will be of interest to students and scholars in the humanities and social sciences with an interest in classical social theory and political sociology.
Contents
Introduction. Concepts, Crises and Critique in an (Underexplored) Lineage of German-Language Sociology
1. Interactions, Interweavings, Communication: On the Nature of the Social
2. Appropriation, Monopolization, and the Power of Boundaries: From Social Closure to Genocidal Destruction, 3. States, Publics, Communication, and the Intellectual , 4. The Constitution of Meaning and Social Action: Between Ideology, Alienation and Resonance, 5. Theories of a Later Modernity: Structure, Culture, Existentialism, 6. Multiple Exclusions and "Subjugated Knowledges": Sociologists as Public
Intellectuals, Conclusion. German-Language Sociologies in the Longue Durée and in Global Contexts
