Elias is one of the major figures in world sociology and social science. He is unique in having combined in his work the empirical minutiae of social life with theorizing on a grand scale. His work ranges across societies of all types and in all periods and transcends disciplinary boundaries. Among the many original features of his writings is a commitment to sociology as a historical science dealing with long-term developmental processes. His major works include "The Civilizing Process", "The Court Society" and "What Is Sociology?" In "The Symbol Theory" Elias draws together three central themes. At the first level the book is concerned with symbols in relation to language, knowing and thinking. He takes a fresh look at areas of inquiry normally associated with cultural anthropology and semiology. Secondly, Elias stresses that symbols are also tangible sound-patterns of human communication, made possible by the evolutionary biological precondition of the human vocal apparatus. At a third level, the book addresses theoretical issues about the ontological status of knowledge, moving beyond traditional philosophical dualisms such as subject/object and idealism/materialism. By weaving evolutionary biology as a human science into a more broadly conceived sociology, Elias readjusts the traditional boundary between the "Social" and the "Natural". At the same time he demonstrates the potential of sociology as a unifying human science which pulls in data from history, psychology, economics, political science and anthropology.
"The Established and the Outsiders" is a classic text from one of the major figures of world sociology. This new edition includes a theoretical introduction, published in English for the first time. In Norbert Elias's hands, a local community study of tense relations between an established group and outsiders - with no other discernible difference between them - becomes a microcosm that illuminates a wide range of sociological configurations including racial, ethnic, class and gender relations. The book examines the mechanisms of stigmatisation, taboo and gossip, monopolisation of power, collective fantasy and "we" and "they" images which support and reinforce divisions in society. Developing aspects of Elias's thinking that relate his work to current sociological concerns, it presents the fullest elaboration of his concepts of mutual identification and functional democratisation. "The Established and the Outsiders"not only brings out the important theoretical implications of a small-scale local study but also demonstrates the significance of such detailed analysis for better sociological theory. It will be essential reading for students and scholars in social theory, sociology and anthropology.
The Established and the Outsiders is a classic text from one of the major figures of world sociology. This new edition includes a theoretical introduction, published in English for the first time. In Norbert Elias's hands, a local community study of tense relations between an established group and outsiders - with no other discernible difference between them - becomes a microcosm that illuminates a wide range of sociological configurations including racial, ethnic, class and gender relations. The book examines the mechanisms of stigmatisation, taboo and gossip, monopolisation of power, collective fantasy and "we" and "they" images which support and reinforce divisions in society. Developing aspects of Elias's thinking that relate his work to current sociological concerns, it presents the fullest elaboration of his concepts of mutual identification and functional democratisation. The Established and the Outsiders not only brings out the important theoretical implications of a small-scale local study but also demonstrates the significance of such detailed analysis for better sociological theory. It will be essential reading for students and scholars in social theory, sociology and anthropology.
