Marx and Weber on Oriental Societies : In the Shadow of Western Modernity

The Orient was central to the work of Marx and Weber, both figures building their theories around the question of why modernity appeared to emerge only in the West. While Marx’s account focused on the accumulation of capital in the West, Weber’s explanation for this phenomenon centred on Western rationalization. Extending recent work comparing the social theories of Marx and Weber, this book examines their approaches to Oriental societies, showing how, in spite of the differences in their respective theorizations of the historical and political development of the West, their work on the form of modern society in the Orient converges, each complementing the other. Fully conversant with recent scholarly work on Marx and Weber, this comprehensive re-examination of the points of convergence and departure in their work requires us to re-evaluate both their positions in the history of sociology and their relevance to contemporary social questions. As such, it will appeal to scholars of social and political theory and classical sociology. Review 'Sociology remains Orientalistic in that the knowing subjects continue to be the authors of the canonical works of Western social science such as Marx and Weber. Re-examining their writings and locating them in their proper place in the history of sociology, this is an important contribution to rescuing social theory from potential irrelevance by separating out what is sound and valuable from what is Orientalistic.'Syed Farid Alatas, National University of Singapore, Singapore'Lutfi Sunar reminds us of the extent to which contemporary ideas of modernity, and therefore current ideas of "alternative modernities" as well, are derived from the writings of Marx and Weber. Sunar's book suggests that we urgently need to rethink the idea of modernity itself, wherever it may have occurred. Essential reading for Marx and Weber studies, as well as for anyone concerned with the history and theory of modernity.'Robert J. Young, New York University, USA About the Author LÃ1⁄4tfi Sunar is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Istanbul University, Turkey. Examining the mimetic theory of René Girard, this book investigates the development of society as a result of an original crime (a murder) that shaped the way the earliest humans organized the social structures we live with today - an analysis that reveals the dangerous structure of the most basic social relationships. With attention to family relationships, A Genealogy of Social Violence sheds light on the processes by which the traditional nuclear family, through the mimetic behaviour of children, embeds violence into human desires and hence society as whole. Challenging the thought of Girard and of Rawls in order to offer a new understanding of justice, this book suggests that in order to achieve a more peaceful society, what is required is not the self-defeating narrative of equality, developed in order to manage the violence engendered by our social institutions, but a reconceptualisation of the nuclear family structure. A striking critique of modern society, which draws on religion, mythology, literature, history, philosophy and political theory, A Genealogy of Social Violence will be of interest to social and political theorists, as well as philosophers working in the area of contemporary social and European thought. Zygmunt Bauman's'liquid sociology'confronts the awesome task of reminding individual men and women that an alternative way of living together is within our eminent capabilities, if only we start to think differently about our world. The metaphor of'liquidity', which has become such a prominent feature of his writings since 2000, provides us with just such a new interpretation, with a novel'way of seeing'. Each chapter in this unique collection takes seriously Bauman's analysis of modernity as'liquid', throwing new light upon global social problems, as well as opening up a space for assessing the nature of Bauman's contribution to sociology, and for understanding what may be gained and lost by embracing an artistic sensibility within the social sciences. With contributions from internationally renowned scholars, this book will appeal to all those interested in Bauman's work, especially within sociology, social, political and cultural theory, and to anyone curious about the value of metaphor in interpreting the social world. Each chapter in this unique collection takes seriously Bauman's analysis of modernity as 'liquid', throwing new light upon global social problems, as well as opening up a space for assessing the nature of Bauman's contribution to sociology, and for understanding what may be gained and lost by embracing an artistic sensibility within the social sciences. With contributions from internationally renowned scholars, this book will appeal to all those interested in Bauman's work, especially within sociology, social, political and cultural theory, and to anyone curious about the value of metaphor in Cover; Contents; Acknowledgements; Notes on Contributors; 1 Liquid Sociology - What For?; 2 Blurring Genres: A Conversation with Zygmunt Bauman on Metaphors, Science versus Art, Fiction and Other Tricks of the Trade; 3 Bauman's Challenge: Metaphors and Metamorphoses; 4 Bauman's Travels: Metaphors of the Token and the Wilderness; 5 'Welcome to the Hotel California': Bauman and Virilio on Utopia, Dystopia, and Globalisation; 6 The Heineken Effect: Bauman, Baudrillard and Žižek as Metaphorical Thinkers of Liquidity 7 On the Liquidity of Evil: Modernity and the Dissolution of Ethics in Bauman's Social Theory8 Strangers, 'Others' and the Unstable Metaphors of Race Representation in Liquid Modernity; 9 Risk, Nichtwissen and Fear: Searching For Solidity in Liquid Times?; 10 From 'Solid' Producers and Consumers to 'Liquid' Prosumers; 11 The Question of a Sociological Poetics: Metaphors, Models and Theory; 12 'Metaphormosis': On the Metaphoricity of Zygmunt Bauman's Social Theory; 13 Conclusion: Liquid Sociology; Index Framework -- Historical And Philosophical Context -- Girardian Mimetic Theory: Objections And Responses -- Justice As Unfairness: The Social Contracts Of Girard And Rawls -- Mythologies Of The Future: Justice, Mimesis, And Idyllic Hope -- Utopian Undercurrents: Undoing Mimesis In The Social Imagination -- Squaring The Triangle: Correcting The Girardian Theory Of Mimesis. Clint Jones. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Zygmunt Bauman’s ‘liquid sociology’ confronts the awesome task of reminding individual men and women that an alternative way of living together is within our eminent capabilities, if only we start to think differently about our world. The metaphor of ‘liquidity’, which has become such a prominent feature of his writings since 2000, provides us with just such a new interpretation, with a novel ‘way of seeing’ Examining the mimetic theory of Rene Girard, this book investigates the development of society as a result of an original crime (a murder) that shaped the way the earliest humans organized the social structures we live with today - an analysis that reveals the dangerous structure of the most basic social relationships.

The Orient was central to the work of Marx and Weber, both figures building their theories around the question of why modernity appeared to emerge only in the West. While Marx