Max Weber's Comparative-Historical SociologyUniversity of Chicago Press, 1994 M03 17 - 221 pages The revival of historical sociology in recent decades has largely neglected the contributions of Max Weber. Yet Weber's writings offer a fundamental resource for analyzing problems of comparative historical development. Stephen Kalberg rejects the view that Weber's historical writings consist of an ambiguous mixture of fragmented ideal types on the one hand and the charting of vast processes of rationalization and bureaucracy on the other. On the contrary, Weber's substantive work offers a coherent and distinctive model for comparative analysis. A reconstruction of Weber's comparative historical method, Kalberg argues, uncovers a sophisticated outlook that addresses problems of agency and structure, multiple causation, and institutional interpretation. Kalberg shows how such a representation of Weber's work casts a direct light upon issues of pressing importance in comparative historical studies today. Weber addresses in a forceful way the whole range of issues confronted by the comparative historical enterprise. Once the full analytical and empirical power of Weber's historical writings becomes clear, Weber's work can be seen to generate procedures and strategies appropriate to the study of present day as well as past social processes. Written in an accessible and engaging fashion, this book will appeal to students and professionals in the areas of sociology, anthropology, and comparative history. |
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according to Weber affinity and antagonism analysis antecedent conditions Brahmins bureaucratic carriers causal analytic approaches causal analytic schools causal explanation causal forces causal methodology central chapter charisma concepts Confucianism conjunctural interactions constitute construct delimited developmental model diachronic interactions domain-specific ideal types domains and domain-specific economic EEWR elective affinity emph emphasis empirical reality example facilitating factors feudal focus formal rationality forms of rulership formulated heuristic Hinduism historical and causal implies intellectuals interac interests investigation Johannes Winckelmann Kalberg Kshatriya logical means-end rational methodological individualism mode of causal multicausality orientations of action patrimonial patterned action patterned action-orientations patterns of action postulates rational choice theory reference regular action relationships religious RofC RofI Rofl social action societal domains sociological loci specific status groups strata stratum theoretical framework tion traditional transl universal organizations value-rational action values Weber's causal Weber's comparative-historical sociology Weber's model Weber's sociology Weber's substantive texts world systems