This book addresses the manifold crisis of current societies and understands it as a failure of normative social structuration. As an exemplar for this development, it analyses the decline of welfare state models and the corresponding societal compromise. Yet, it evaluates them as a symptom of a wider malaise of normative orders in complex societies. The question thus arises as to how social science can study the ongoing societal transformation. The book frames the phenomenon as ‘normative intermittency’ to capture its fluid alternation of social structuration and destructuration and develops its analysis in three steps: first, it draws a theoretically reflected symptomatic of its occurrences; it then establishes the sociological diagnosis necessary to understand its unfolding and finally evaluates its political outcomes. Methodologically, the book advocates a complete overhaul of the analytical frames of sociology to gauge the intermittent rhythm of the ongoing societal transformation. Thus, it develops an innovative reading of classical sociological theory beyond a number of unreflected axiomatic assumptions of the current sociological mainstream. Thanks to the assessment of the political outcomes of failing social structuration the book turns to a discussion of the development of possible emancipation paths in the form of ‘transformative social action’; reflexively, this accounts for the results of the sociological diagnosis of the crisis of normative social orders. The main analyses within the book scrutinise a number of empirical phenomena that establish normative intermittency in current societies and refer to the major debates that are taking place on the related topics in the state of art of sociological and political theory.

The complete collected works of Georg Simmel are now available. Yet, the standing of Simmel’s sociological theory is still a subject of controversy. Is Simmel only a brilliant impressionist, a flâneur in the territories of modernity? Providing an illuminating and coherent presentation of Simmel’s sociological theory, The Challenge of Modernity seeks to demonstrate how Simmel contributed a structured sociological theory that fits the criteria of a ‘sociological grand theory’. Indeed, starting by the theory of modernity and its dimensions of social differentiation, monetarisation, culture reification and urbanisation; it reconstructs the architecture of Simmel’s sociological epistemology. Particular attention is dedicated to the theory of ‘qualitative societal differentiation’ that Simmel develops within his cultural sociology, with the late work being presented as a double contribution to the foundation of sociological anthropology and to the social ethics of complex societies. Presenting the entirety of Simmel’s manifold oeuvre from the viewpoint of its relevance for sociology, this comprehensive volume will appeal to scholars and advanced students who wish to understand Simmel’s relevance for socio-political thought and become acquainted with his contribution to sociological theory. It will also be of interest to the wider public who seek a critical assessment of our age in theoretical terms.

Max Weber (1864 – 1920) zählt zu den Mitbegründern der deutschen Soziologie und ist nach wie vor einer der einflussreichsten Denker des 20. Jahrhunderts. Gregor Fitzi stellt Webers Grundthesen vor: die Methodologie der Sozialwissenschaft, die Theorien der Moderne und des abendländischen Rationalismus sowie Webers Studien zur Wirtschaftsgeschichte. Darüber hinaus zeigt er Max Weber als Mann der Politik und der Öffentlichkeit und behandelt die Rezeption seiner Arbeiten in den Sozialwissenschaften. Viele aktuelle Auseinandersetzungen mit Weber belegen die bis heute ungebrochene Ausstrahlung seines Werks.

Auf der Lehrerfahrung des Autors basierend, ist der Band so konzipiert, dass er die schwierige Lektüre von Webers Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft begleiten und erleichtern soll. Den Studenten kann das Buch somit als Einführung in das zentrale soziologische Werk Max Webers dienen. Mit dieser Zielsetzung schließt der Band eine Lücke in der Fachliteratur, da die Sekundärliteratur über Max Webers Werk zwar Weiterführung und anspruchvolle Exegese bietet, jedoch nur bedingt zur Einführung taugt.

The complete collected works of Georg Simmel are now available. Yet, the standing of Simmel¿s sociological theory is still a subject of controversy. Is Simmel only a brilliant impressionist, a fl¿ur in the territories of modernity? Providing an illuminating and coherent presentation of Simmel¿s sociological theory, The Challenge of Modernity seeks to demonstrate how Simmel contributed a structured sociological theory that fits the criteria of a ¿sociological grand theory¿. Indeed, starting by the theory of modernity and its dimensions of social differentiation, monetarisation, culture reification and urbanisation; it reconstructs the architecture of Simmel¿s sociological epistemology. Particular attention is dedicated to the theory of ¿qualitative societal differentiation¿ that Simmel develops within his cultural sociology, with the late work being presented as a double contribution to the foundation of sociological anthropology and to the social ethics of complex societies. Presenting the entirety of Simmel¿s manifold oeuvre from the viewpoint of its relevance for sociology, this comprehensive volume will appeal to scholars and advanced students who wish to understand Simmel¿s relevance for socio-political thought and become acquainted with his contribution to sociological theory. It will also be of interest to the wider public who seek a critical assessment of our age in theoretical terms.