Description
Book SynopsisDespite the extensive scholarship on Max Weber (18641920) and W. E. B. Du Bois (18681963), very little of it examines the contact between the two founding figures of Western sociology. Drawing on their correspondence from 1904 to 1906, and comparing the sociological work that they produced during this period and afterward, The Spirit vs. the Souls: Max Weber, W. E. B. Du Bois, and the Politics of Scholarship examines for the first time the ideas that Weber and Du Bois shared on topics such as sociological investigation, race, empire, unfree labor, capitalism, and socialism. What emerges from this examination is that their ideas on these matters clashed far more than they converged, contrary to the tone of their letters and to the interpretations of the few scholars who have commented on the correspondence between Weber and Du Bois.
Christopher McAuley provides close readings of key texts by the two scholars, including Weber''s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of C
Trade Review
"I think The Spirit vs. the Souls is an outstanding book. The chapters on Max Weber, religion, and capitalism are simply brilliant. I like the rich, textured, and excellent grounding on both the privileges of Weber and W. E. B. Du Bois. I believe that this book will be a hit, a well-rounded, much-needed appraisal of two giants of the discipline of sociology, race, and critical scholarship." —Rodney Coates, Miami University
"The Spirit vs. the Souls advances a well-imagined conversation between two of the most eminent sociologists of the last century, especially concerning capitalism, imperialism, and the significance of the Atlantic Slave Trade in the shaping of the modern world. Conceptually intriguing and rigorously documented, Christopher McAuley’s astute observations on the rival notions of Weber and Du Bois—and the broader politics of thinking about race—should be measured as an outstanding contribution to African American intellectual history." —Patrick B. Miller, Northeastern Illinois University
"McAuley explores the little-known personal and intellectual relationship between Max Weber and W. E. B. Du Bois in this volume. The two scholars corresponded briefly until, as McAuley claims, the divergence in their ideas made an ongoing relationship impossible. Today, he argues, academia remembers Weber incorrectly as the 'pure scholar,' while downgrading and misconstruing Du Bois’s intellectual credentials as those of a mere 'political academic.'" —Choice
Table of ContentsPrologue
- Consequences of Change
- Perils of Power
- Paralysis of Polarization
- Conundrums of Communications
- Reveries of Reform
- Presidency in Progress
Epilogue
A Chronology of the Modern American Presidency
For Further Reading
Acknowledgments
