ABSTRACT

This book reconstructs and brings together the work of a number of social and political theorists in order to gain new insight on the emergence and character of modern Western society. It examines the intersection point of social theory and historical sociology in a new theoretical approach called "reflexive historical sociology".

There is analysis of the works of Max Weber, Michel Foucault, Norbert Elias, Eric Voegelin and a number of others. The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 examines the works of Eric Voegelin, Norbert Elias, Lewis Mumford and Franz Borkenau. Part 2 is concerned with the major conceptual tools such as experience, liminality, process, symbolisation, figuration, order, dramatisation and reflexivity, and themes such as the history of forms of thought, subjectivity, knowledge and closed space and regulated time. Finally, the book examines the most important insights of the thinkers discussed, concerning the historical processes that led to modernity.

part |2 pages

Part I Reflexive historical sociologists

chapter |4 pages

Introduction to Part I

chapter 1|18 pages

Norbert Elias

chapter 2|8 pages

Franz Borkenau

chapter 3|38 pages

Eric Voegelin

chapter 4|10 pages

Lewis Mumford

chapter |14 pages

Conclusion to Part I

part |2 pages

Part II Visions of modernity

chapter |4 pages

Introduction to Part II

chapter 5|16 pages

The Protestant spirit (Weber)

chapter 6|18 pages

Court society (Elias)

chapter 7|12 pages

The mechanical world image (Borkenau)

chapter 8|18 pages

The gnostic revolt (Voegelin)

chapter 9|14 pages

The new megamachine (Mumford)

chapter 10|28 pages

Disciplinary society (Foucault)

chapter |12 pages

Conclusion to Part II

chapter |2 pages

Conclusion