Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
The Savage Mind (La pensée sauvage, 1962) is one of the most influential texts of French structuralism and marks an important bridge between ethnology, sociology, and cultural studies. In this work, Claude Lévi-Strauss challenges the conventional distinction between „primitive“ and „civilized“ thought. Using numerous ethnographic examples, he demonstrates that so-called „savage“ patterns of thought—in myths,
Dialectic of Enlightenment is considered one of the key works of Critical Theory and a milestone in twentieth-century sociological analysis. Originally published in 1944 in exile in the United States under the title Philosophical Fragments, it was not released in its complete form under its current title until 1969. The work explores the dark side
The Metropolis and Mental Life (1903) is one of Georg Simmel’s central works in early urban sociology. It analyzes the effects of the modern metropolis on the life of the individual. Simmel describes how urbanization and social change transform social relationships and shape the mental life of city dwellers. For students, this text is foundational
The Civilizing Process by Norbert Elias is one of the most influential and enduring contributions to 20th-century sociology. Published in 1939, the work traces the historical conditions and social mechanisms through which a specifically modern habitus and an increased level of self-control emerged over centuries. For Elias, the civilizing process is not evidence of moral
With his major work Economy and Society (1921/22), Max Weber created a foundational text of modern sociology that remains one of the central reference points for sociological theory today. Published posthumously and edited by Marianne Weber and other students based on his lectures and manuscripts, it offers a comprehensive system of categories for analyzing social
Max Weber’s essay “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” (1905) is considered one of the most important works in sociology. In it, Weber analyzes the cultural and religious conditions that contributed to the development of modern capitalism. This work enables students to analytically examine the interplay between culture, economy, and society, especially the