Description
Book Synopsis* A highly topical book which examines the intellectual history of comparing Europe and the United States. * Claus Offe considers the perspectives adopted by three of Europe's greatest social scientists - Alexis de Tocqueville, Max Weber and Theodor W. Adorno - in their comparative writings on Europe and the US.
Trade Review“
Reflections on America is simultaneously an excellent contribution to sociological theory and to historical-comparative research.”
Sociological Review “A concise, rich account of three salient European socio-theoretical perspectives on America and their implications for Europe.”
Matthias Benzer, British Journal of Sociology
“The author offers valuable insights on American exceptionalism and its consequences for domestic and international politics ... For readers more interested in current developments in American politics, the appeal of the book lies in Offe’s insights about the contribution of foreign policy to the effectiveness of the American melting pot and to social cohesion.”
Álvaro Morcillo, British Journal of Sociology
“In this elegant and inspiring book, Claus Offe shows how America time and again has served Europeans as a screen on which to project their own visions of society, revealing as much about the old continent as about the new world.”
Abram de Swaan, Amsterdam School of Social Research
Table of ContentsI. Introduction
II. Alexis de Tocqueville or the Tyranny of the Middle Class
III. Max Weber: American Escape Routes from the Iron Cage
IV. Theodor W. Adorno: 'Culture Industry' and Other Views of the 'American Century'
V. The United States in the Twenty-First Century: Traditions of Religions Socialization and Struggle against 'Evil'
