Norbert Elias and Modern Social TheoryOffering a fascinating survey of Norbert Elias′s life and writings, Dennis Smith traces the growth of his reputation. He is the first author to confront Elias′s work with the contrasting theories of Talcott Parsons, Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault and Zygmunt Bauman. He also illustrates how Elias′s insights can be applied to understand Western modernity and social and political change. Smith shows why Elias is important for sociology, but he is also clear sighted about the limitations of Elias′s approach. |
Contents
| 1 | |
2 CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION | 20 |
PART 2 THE WIDER DEBATE | 43 |
4 PARSONS AND ELIAS | 71 |
5 FOUCAULT AND ELIAS | 93 |
6 BAUMAN AND ELIAS | 114 |
Common terms and phrases
American analysis approach argument aristocracy aspects became become behaviour bourgeois bourgeoisie Breslau central century challenge chapter character structure civilized habitus Civilizing Process con¯ict convergence Court Society creative culture de®ned de®nition decivilizing dif®cult dynamics early Elias and Arendt Elias and Foucault Elias argues Elias's Elias's view Eliasian emotional Europe European Union example existence experience expressed fact feelings France French German bourgeoisie German Empire German society global gurations Hannah Arendt human humiliation ideas identi®ed imperial important in¯uence individual integration intellectual interests Jewish Jews Kant knowledge medieval Michel Foucault modernity moral Nazi Nazism Norbert Elias of®cials Origins of Totalitarianism Parsons's pattern perceptions philosophical political postmodern Rahel Varnhagen re¯ection regime relationships scienti®c sense sexual shame shape signi®cant situation Social Action social processes sociogenesis sociologists sociology speci®c strategy Structure of Social Talcott Parsons tendency tradition understanding victims violence vision writes Zygmunt Bauman