Max Weber and the sociology of culture

"Max Weber and the Sociology of Culture" defines a distinctive Weberian perspective which provides a basis on which future sociological analyses of culture will be able to build. Drawing on a broad interpretation of Weber's writings, Ralph Schroeder offers an interpretation of Weber's theory and a comprehensive and critical introduction to his sociology. Assessing Weber's writings as a contribution to the sociology of culture, the book offers an understanding of Weber's comparative historical sociology and his concern with cultural change. It also re-assesses central questions around the significance and volume of Weber's sociology - how it relates to materialism and functionalism, and to ideas of Marx and Durkheim. Ralph Schroeder's analysis yields a coherent conception of the interplay between culture and social life which can be found throughout Weber's comparative studies of the world-religions and in his writings on modern society. The book is aimed at students and academics in social theory and sociology.