Norbert Elias and Modern Social Theory

Download or read book Norbert Elias and Modern Social Theory written by Dennis Smith and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2001-01-26 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering a fascinating survey of Elias's life and writings, Dennis Smith traces the growth of his reputation. He is the first author to confront Elias's work with the contrasting theories of Talcott Parsons, Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault and Zygmunt Bauman. He also illustrates how Elias's insights can be applied to understand Western modernity and social and political change. Smith shows why Elias is important for sociology, but he is also clear sighted about the limitations of Elias's approach.