30208

Sociological Theories of Politics, Law, and the State: Max Weber

Jan Boesten

Information for students

Requirements:
Participation: Regular presence and active participation in the discussions, presentation on one week’s readings (Referat).
Grade: Seminar paper of about 3.000 words.

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Comments

The seminar will critically analyze and explore some of the key works of Max Weber on sociological categories: social action, politics, law, state, legitimacy, authority. The readings will be taken from Weber’s seminal work economy and society (as translated by Roth and Wittich). Accompanying Weber’s core text are seminal interpretations and critical assessments of Weber’s categories. The goal of this seminar is that students will be able to critically incorporate Weberian categories into their thinking, as they remain enormously relevant for political sociology. Each student is expected to prepare at least one critical review of a reading and distribute them prior to the seminar amongst their peers. Seminars begin with a short presentation by the respective student. close

Suggested reading

Weber, Max (1968a). Economy and Society. An Outline of Interpretive Sociology. Vol. I, Part 1:
· Chapter I: Basic Sociological Terms, p. 3-62.
· Chapter II: Sociological Categories of Economic Action, p. 63-100.
· Chapter III: The Types of Legitimate Domination, p. 212-302.
Vol. I, Part 2:
· Chapter II: The Economy and Social Norms, p. 311-323; p. 333-339 (all except “Response to Rudolf Stammler”).
Vol. II:
· Chapter VIII: Economy and Law (Sociology of Law):
· Fields of Substantive Law, p. 641-666.
· Forms of Creation of Rights, p. 666-729.
· The Legal Honoratiores and the Types of Legal Thought, p. 784-809.
· Imperium and Patrimonial Enactment: The Codifications, p. 839-865.
· Chapter IX: Political Communities, p. 901-941.
· Chapter X: Domination and Legitimacy, p. 941-954
· Chapter XI: Bureaucracy,
· The Characteristics of Modern Bureaucracy, p. 956-958
· The Position of the Official within and Outside of Bureaucracy, p. 958-963
· The Technical Superiority of Bureaucratic Organization over Administration by Notables, p. 973-980.
· Chapter XII: Patriarchalism and Patrimonialism, 1006-1044.
· Chapter IV: Charisma and its Transformations, 1111-1146.
· Giddens, A. (1972). “The Sociological Framework of Weber’s Political Thought“. In: Politics and Sociology in the Thought of Max Weber. Studies in Sociology. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-01456-9_4, p. 40–53.

· Mommsen, Wolfgang (1974). The Age of Bureaucracy. Chapter IV (“The Theory of the ‘Three Types of Legitimate Domination’ and the Concept of Plebiscitarian Democracy”). Pp. 72-95.

· Parsons Talcott (1968[1937]). The Structure of Social Action. Chapter 17. P. 640-658.

· Jere Cohen, Lawrence E. Hazelrigg and Whitney Pope (1975). De-Parsonizing Weber: A Critique of Parsons' Interpretation of Weber's Sociology. American Sociological Review. Vol. 40, No. 2 (Apr., 1975), p. 229-241

· Habermas, Jürgen (1985). A Theory of Communicative Action Vol. 1. “Weber’s Theory of Rationalization”, (Introduction: Approaches to the Problem of Rationality, 48-57; Rationaliy—A Preliminary Specification, 57-96; Max Weber’s Theory of Rationalization, 204-218). close

16 Class schedule

Regular appointments

Tue, 12:00 - 14:00 16 Class schedule

Tue, 2024-10-15 12:00 - 14:00

Lecturers:
Dr. Jan Boesten