Reflexive Historical Sociology (Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought, 22)

302 Pages·2000·1.73 MB·English

by  Arpa Szakolczai

Reflexive Historical Sociology
This book opens up new theoretical ground at the point of intersection of social
theory and historical sociology. A follow up to Szakolczai’s earlier work, Max Weber
and Michel Foucault: Parallel Life Works (Routledge, 1998), it brings together the
writings of a series of major contemporary thinkers whose works so far have
remained disconnected. It is argued that, taken together, the work of such thinkers
as Elias, Voegelin, Borkenau and Mumford, in conjunction with the work of Weber
and Foucault, lays the ground for a coherent field called ‘reflexive historical
sociology’. This field carries a unique potential for understanding the modern
condition.
The book consists of two main parts. The first reconstructs the themes and
dynamics of the life works of Elias, Voegelin, Borkenau and Mumford using a new
method developed by Szakolczai for the understanding of authors. The second part
explores the ‘visions’ of modernity contained in their best-known works, and those
of Weber and Foucault. It is argued that these visions and interpretations of
modernity can be brought together in the concept of ‘permanent liminality’, which
the author offers as a new diagnosis of the modern condition.
Reflexive Historical Sociology is a discipline-defining text. It will be of essential
interest to scholars and students in social and political thought, and historians and
philosophers seeking new theoretical perspectives.
Arpad Szakolczai studied in Budapest, Hungary and Austin, Texas. After
teaching social theory for eight years at the European University Institute in
Florence, Italy, he has taken up the chair of sociology at University College, Cork,
Republic of Ireland.
Routledge Studies in Social and Political Thought
1 Hayek and After Hayekian liberalism as a research programme Jeremy Shearmur
2 Conflicts in Social Science Edited by Anton van Harskamp
3 Political Thought of André Gorz Adrian Little
4 Corruption, Capitalism and Democracy John Girling
5 Freedom and Culture in Western Society Hans Blokland
6 Freedom in Economics New perspectives in normative analysis Edited by Jean-
Francois Laslier, Marc Fleurbaey, Nicolas Gravel and Alain Trannoy
7 Against Politics On government, anarchy and order Anthony de Jasay
8 Max Weber and Michel Foucault Parallel life works Arpad Szakolczai
9 The Political Economy of Civil Society and Human Rights G.B.Madison
10 On Durkheim’s Elementary Forms of Religious Life Edited by W.S.F.Pickering,
W.Watts Miller and N.J.Allen
11 Classical Individualism The supreme importance of each human being Tibor
R.Machan
12 The Age of Reasons Quixoticism, sentimentalism and political economy in
eighteenth-century Britain Wendy Motooka
13 Individualism in Modern Thought From Adam Smith to Hayek Lorenzo
Infantino
14 Property and Power in Social Theory A study in intellectual rivalry Dick
Pels
15 Wittgenstein and the Idea of a Critical Social Theory A critique of
Giddens, Habermas and Bhaskar Nigel Pleasants
16 Marxism and Human Nature Sean Sayers
17 Goffman and Social Organization Studies in a sociological legacy Edited by
Greg Smith
18 Situating Hayek Phenomenology in the neo-liberal project Mark J.Smith
19 The Reading of Theoretical Texts Peter Ekegren
20 The Nature of Capital Marx after Foucault Richard Marsden
21 The Age of Chance Gambling in western culture Gerda Reith
iii
22 Reflexive Historical Sociology Arpad Szakolczai
23 Durkheim and Representations Edited by W.S.F.Pickering
24 The Social and Political Thought of Noam Chomsky Alison Edgley
25 Hayek’s Liberalism and its Origins C.Petsoulias
26 Metaphor and the Dynamics of Knowledge Sabine Maasen and Peter
Weingart
27 Living with Markets Jeremy Shearmur
Reflexive Historical
Sociology
Arpad Szakolczai
London and New York
First published 2000
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4B 4EE
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
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29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
© 2000 Arpad Szakolczai
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic,
mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission
in writing from the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Szakolczai, Arpad.
Reflexive historical sociology/Arpad Szakolczai.
304 pp. 23.4×15.6 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Historical sociology. 2. Civilization, Western. 3.
Civilization—Philosophy. 4. Europe—Civilization. I. Title.
HM487.S93 1999 99–18441
301'.01–dc21 CIP
ISBN 0-203-19361-X Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-26547-5 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-19051-7 (Print Edition)
To Knut
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Abbreviations x
Introduction xv
PART I Reflexive historical sociologists 1
Introduction to Part I 3
1 Norbert Elias 7
2 Franz Borkenau 25
3 Eric Voegelin 33
4 Lewis Mumford 71
Conclusion to Part I: comparisons and contrasts 81
PART II Visions of modernity 95
Introduction to Part II 97
5 The Protestant spirit (Weber) 101
6 Court society (Elias) 117
7 The mechanical world image (Borkenau) 135
8 The gnostic revolt (Voegelin) 147
9 The new megamachine (Mumford) 165
10 Disciplinary society (Foucault) 179
Conclusion to Part II: modernity as permanent liminality 207
Conclusion 219
Notes 221
Bibliography 247
Index 259
Acknowledgements
Most of the research on which this book is based was completed while I was
teaching at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy. The Institute
and the hills and valleys around Fiesole were a most congenial environment for the
work. For their personal support, I am grateful to Patrick Masterson, principal of the
EUI, Karl Ulrich Mayer from the Research Council, and Stefano Bartolini who was
Head of Department during my last two years.
Much of the actual writing was done once I became Professor of Sociology in
1998 at the University College, Cork, Ireland. The book could not have been finished
without the support I received there, matched by the West Cork scenery.
I am most grateful to the Foucault Archives which at the time of my research
were still housed at the Bibliothéque de Saulchoir, a Dominican library in Paris, and
the Voegelin Archives, The Hoover Institution, Stanford, California, for permitting
me to use their material. I am especially grateful to Daniel Defert, Stephen Mennell,
Geoffrey Price and Brendan Purcell for sharing material in their possession with me.
A number of people gave invaluable help with this work, either through
conversation or by commenting on draft chapters. I am grateful to Zygmunt
Bauman, Shmuel Eisenstadt, Bernd Giesen, Harvey Goldman, Elemér Hankiss,
Alessandro Pizzorno, Gianfranco Poggi, Dennis Smith, Peggy Somers, Godfried van
Benthem van den Berg and Dennis Wrong for their insights, and to Colin Gordon,
Kieran Keohane, Richard Kilminster, Paddy O’Carroll, Stefan Rossbach, Valeria
Russo and Roberta Sassatelli for taking the trouble to read parts of the manuscript
and for giving precious advice. I am especially grateful to Paul Caringella for his
detailed and relentlessly critical response to an earlier draft of Chapter 3, which saved
me from a series of blunders, and to Agnes who was as merciless a critic as anybody
else, as always.
It was my special privilege and fortune to share a series of seminar meetings with
particularly bright and receptive audiences in both Florence and Cork: especially,
though not restricted to, the two courses devoted to reflexive historical sociology in
1997–8 in Florence and 1998–9 in Cork.
ix
This book owes more to Knut Mittendorfer than to anyone else, for his
comments, his presence, the inspiration drawn from his work. He is also the only
one who did not see it completed. The book is therefore dedicated to his memory.
Arpad Szakolczai
Kilbrittain, 9 May 1999