Long-term Developmental Processes in the Perspective of Historical Sociology












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            1) Time frames as processes in sociology:

            Norbert Elias’ concept of long-term social processes. Karl Mannheim and the concept of the
            Synchronic vs diachronic approach. Braudel’s 3 stages of time.
            Describe and explain Norbert Elias’ approach to long-term social processes.

            2) Social geography:
            Ways in which social relations, social identities and social inequalities are produced, th
            variation, and the role of space in constructing them. Pitirim Sorokin and social mobility

            vertical). Emmanuel Wallerstein’s concept of space-time. Anthony Giddens social systems in
            example of the nation state.

            Explain the following quote from Giddens:
            “time and space are recombined to form a genuinely world-historical framework of action an
            3) Economic processes

            Theories of human development: Braudel, Wallerstein, Marx, Weber, Gellner etc.
            Explain Wallerstein’s world-system theory in relation to ‘core’ and ‘periphery’ countries.
            How does Marx’s theory of alienation relate to Marxist stage theory?

            4) Violence, militarism and power
            Violence within sociology. Anthony Giddens – the nation-state and violence. Norbert Elias 
            of violence from medieval to modern. Foucault – changes in punishment of crime and prison.

            Functions of social conflict (positive and negative). Michael Mann – networks of power.
            Give one of Coser’s possible solutions to non-realistic conflict.
            How does Michael Mann’s theory of the development of ‘multi-power-actor-civilizations’ com

            theory of state formation described by Norbert Elias?
            5) Human knowledge
            Knowledge as social production and contextual. Rationalism versus empiricism. Language as 

            system. Karl Mannheim – ideology and relational truth. Michel Foucault – classical vs mode
            knowledge. Gellner’s structure of human history. Daniel Bell – end of ideologies.
            How does Daniel Bell view the similarities between ideologies and religion?

            Why does Charles Percy Snow view the loss of contact between the humanities, arts and lite
            science and technology as a problem? How does Ulrich Beck develop this perspective further
            6) The Civilising Process

            Norbert Elias and process sociology.
            How does Norbert Elias’ approach to historical sociology bridge the divide between the ‘in
            ‘holist’ approaches to social theory?

            Explain how sociogenesis and psychogenesis are related.
            7) Civilisational differentiation
            Social ecosystem theory. Francis Fukuyama – the end of history. Samuel Huntington’s 7 grea

            civilisations. Johannes Pall Arnason – civilisation as singular and plural. Jaroslav Krejč
            anthropocentric, cratocentric, tanatocentric, psychocentric and cosmocentric paradigms.
            How does Arnason distinguish between singular and plural theories of civilisation?

            Explain one of Krečí’s four civilizational paradigms.
            8) Individualisation
            Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Max Weber, George Simmel

            Emile Durkheim – the division of labour and individuality. Individualism vs holism debate.
            and Mozart. Durkheim and the homo duplex.
            Explain Durkheim’s concept of the individual in relation to archaic society.

            How does Elias’ metaphor of ‘the coin and the stamp’ answer the question of primacy of ind
            society.
            9) Social action

            Hegel and unintended consequences. Merton and the unpredictability of individuals. Raymond
            pervers’. Jan Keller – society as unintended consequence.
            Explain Merton’s concepts of manifest and latent functions.

            According to Jan Keller, do we live in a rational society?
            10) How can 'risk society' and 'second modernity' be considered as a basis for thinking ab
            Ulrich Beck - de-standardisation of employment, technological threats and risky freedoms. 

            processes as increasing individualisation and embedding of social roles lost in second mod
            Toffler's 'Future Shock'.