Sociology and the Sacred : An Introduction to Philip Rieff's Theory of Culture

The acclaimed American sociologist and cultural philosopher Philip Rieff gained great academic prestige with his thesis on the emergence of ‘Psychological Man’ in western culture and with his classic book, __Freud: The Mind of the Moralist__, published in 1959. In this work and the later __The Triumph of the Therapeutic__ (1966) he not only offered a highly original interpretation of the work of Sigmund Freud, but critically evaluated the enormous influence of psychotherapeutic thinking on Western culture. However, Rieff’s later work on the theory of culture did not garner the same attention, and his most recent writings have received very little critical engagement. In __Sociology and the Sacred,__ Antonius A.W. Zondervan sets out to remedy this neglect, arguing that Rieff’s work is ripe for intellectual reconsideration. Including material from personal interviews with Rieff that enabled Zondervan to clarify important aspects of his work, Sociology and the Sacred is an essential contribution to the understanding of contemporary culture’s maintenance of its ties to religion.

The acclaimed American sociologist and cultural philosopher Philip Rieff gained great academic prestige with his thesis on the emergence of ‘Psychological Man’ in western culture and with his classic book, Freud: The Mind of the Moralist, published in 1959. In this work and the later The Triumph of the Therapeutic (1966) he not only offered a highly original interpretation of the work of Sigmund Freud, but critically evaluated the enormous influence of psychotherapeutic thinking on Western culture. However, Rieff’s later work on the theory of culture did not garner the same attention, and his most recent writings have received very little critical engagement. In Sociology and the Sacred, Antonius A.W. Zondervan sets out to remedy this neglect, arguing that Rieff’s work is ripe for intellectual reconsideration.

Zondervan begins by presenting an outline of Rieff’s entire body of work, focusing on his theory of culture, and explaining how the sacred is a key notion, pivotal to the overall understanding of Rieff’s work. The author argues that the present upsurge in religion, in many varieties throughout the world, cannot be explained by the classical secularization thesis, making Rieff's theory of sacred order in culture an essential contribution to a new social theory of religion.

Including material from personal interviews with Rieff that enabled Zondervan to clarify important aspects of his work, Sociology and the Sacred is an essential contribution to the understanding of contemporary culture’s maintenance of its ties to religion.

The acclaimed American sociologist and cultural philosopher Philip Rieff gained great academic prestige with his thesis on the emergence of ?Psychological Man? in western culture and with his classic book, Freud: The Mind of the Moralist, published in 1959. In this work and the later The Triumph of the Therapeutic (1966) he not only offered a highly original interpretation of the work of Sigmund Freud, but critically evaluated the enormous influence of psychotherapeutic thinking on Western culture. However, Rieff?s later work on the theory of culture did not garner the same attention, and his most recent writings have received very little critical engagement. In Sociology and the Sacred, Antonius A.W. Zondervan sets out to remedy this neglect, arguing that Rieff?s work is ripe for intellectual reconsideration.Zondervan begins by presenting an outline of Rieff?s entire body of work, focussing on his theory of culture, and explaining how the sacred is a key notion, pivotal to the overall understanding of Rieff?s work. The author argues that the present upsurge in religion, in many varieties throughout the world, cannot be explained by the classical secularization-thesis, making Rieff's theory of sacred order in culture an essential contribution to a new social theory of religion.Including material from personal interviews with Rieff that enabled Zondervan to clarify important aspects of his work, Sociology and the Sacred is an essential contribution to the understanding of contemporary culture?s maintenance of its ties to religion "The acclaimed American sociologist and cultural philosopher Philip Rieff gained great academic prestige with his thesis on the emergence of 'Psychological Man' in western culture and with his classic book, Freud : The Mind of the Moralist, published in 1959. In this work and in The Triumph of the Therapeutic (1966), he not only offered a highly original interpretation of the work of Sigmund Freud, but critically evaluated the enormous influence of psychotherapeutic thinking on Western culture. However, Rieff's later work on the theory of culture did not garner the same attention, and his most recent writings have received very little critical engagement. In Sociology and the Sacred, Antonius A.W. Zondervan sets out to remedy this neglect, arguing that Rieff's work is ripe for intellectual reconsideration." "Including material from personal interviews with Rieff that enabled Zondervan to clarify important aspects of his work, Sociology and the Sacred is an essential contribution to the understanding of contemporary culture's maintenance of its ties to religion."--Résumé de l'éditeur "Zondervan begins by presenting an outline of Rieff's entire body of work, focussing on his theory of culture, and explaining how the sacred is a key notion, pivotal to the overall understanding of Rieff's work. The author argues that the present upsurge in religion, in many varieties throughout the world, cannot be explained by the classical secularization-thesis, making Rieff's theory of sacred order in culture an essential contribution to a new social theory of religion."-- From publisher's website Contents 5 Acknowledgments 7 Introduction 9 1. A Bird’s-Eye View on Rieff’s Life and Work 20 2. Rieff’s Reading of Freudian Metapsychology 33 3. The Emergence of Psychological Man in Western Culture 51 4. Blueprint for a Theory of Culture 75 5. The Limits of Modernity 98 6. Late Modernity as Second Culture Camp 127 7. Rieff: Prophet of a Post-secular Culture 148 Notes 175 References 203 Index 211 Zondervan sets out to remedy this neglect, arguing that Rieff's work is ripe for intellectual reconsideration." "Including material from personal interviews with Rieff that enabled Zondervan to clarify important aspects of his work, Sociology and the Sacred is an essential contribution to the understanding of contemporary culture's maintenance of its ties to religion."--Jacket