Max Webers Sociology: From the Protestant Ethic Thesis and the American Political Culture to a Sociology of Civilizations

This volume outlines Max Webers 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 Webers procedures and their application in his own empirical studies, Max Webers Sociology sustains a simultaneous orientation to his big picture themes and his rigorous manner of analysis. It demonstrates in so doing the capacity of Webers 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 Wests uniqueness, the Protestant ethic thesis, the multiple ways that civilizations develop, and the diverse twists and turns of Webers comparative-historical sociology.