Max Weber and the Sociology of Culture

The work of Max Weber constitutes one of the foundations of modern sociology. Evaluating recent debates about Weber's social theory, Ralph Schroeder identifies the central theme in his writings as the sociology of culture. This challenging interpretation of Weber's ideas will serve as a comprehensive and critical introduction to his sociology.The book draws extensively on recent scholarship to offer a systematic and analytical understanding of Weber's comparative historical sociology and his concern with cultural change. It also reassesses the significance of Weber's thought, relating it in particular to materialism and functionalism, and to the theories of Marx and Durkheim.Ralph Schroeder's analysis yields a coherent conception of the interplay between culture and social life that can be found throughout Weber's comparative studies of the world religions, and in his work on modern society. Furthermore, Weber's pessimistic political outlook and his ambivalent stance towards the disenchantment of the world by science are traced back to his preoccupation with the uniqueness of contemporary Western culture.Max Weber and the Sociology of Culture defines a distinctive Weberian perspective that provides a basis upon which future discussions of his work and analyses of culture can build. It will be essential reading for lecturers and students of sociology and social theory.