Alfred Weber and the Crisis of Culture, 1890-1933

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

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2. Introduction

   1. Introduction

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 1-10

3. Alfred Weber in the German Empire, 1890–1918

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 11-11

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   2. The Context of Alfred Weber’s Early Work

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 13-29

   3. Early Economic Writings, 1897–1908

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 31-45

   4. Heidelberg and the Empire, 1907–1917

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 47-60

   5. The Question and Sociology of Culture

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 61-80

   6. The Cultural Theory of Politics

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 81-96

4. Alfred Weber in the Weimar Republic

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 97-97

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   2. The Weimar Republic and the End of the Discursive Coalition

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 99-113

   3. The Sociology of Culture in Weimar

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 115-132

   4. Cultural Politics in Weimar

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 133-156

   5. Epilogue: Alfred Weber After 1933

      • Colin Loader

      Pages 157-162

5. Back Matter

   Pages 211-252

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Alfred Weber was an important participant in the dialogue over the political and cultural crises of the late Empire and Weimar Republic. This study connects Weber's career to the social, political, intellectual, cultural, and institutional contexts of the period.

• Cultural Theory
• empire
• Institution
• politics
• sociology
• Weimar

'One of the world's leading historians of German social science, Colin Loader has produced the first English language account, not only of Alfred Weber's ideas, but of their location in the social and cultural struggles of his times. Reconstructing Weber's pioneering effort to create a cultural sociology, Loader reveals an alternative genealogy and explains why it became a path not taken.' Jeffrey Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology, Yale University

'Few of us know anything substantial about Max Weber's younger brother, Alfred. Now, at last, we have a superb critical orientation to his ideas. With admirable sensitivity to historical context, Colin Loader introduces readers to Alfred Weber's life, location, intellectual network, and oeuvre, giving special attention to his innovative sociology of culture. A translation of one of Alfred Weber's key works on 'cultural sociology' caps this fascinating book. A major contribution to the history of ideas and 'discursive coalitions.'' Peter Baehr, professor of Social Theory and dean of Social Sciences, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

'A renowned specialist of Karl Mannheim, Colin Loader in his new book analyses Mannheim's mentor Alfred Weber, thus presenting the first study of Max Weber's brother in the English-speaking world. His emphasis is on the interrelation between Weber as a product of his crisis-stricken socio-cultural environment and his cultural sociology diagnosing this crisis. Loader's methodological approach is strictly European, combining Mannheim's sociology of knowledge with elements derived from Pierre Bourdieu and recent German scholars a new and innovative stimulus for biographical research on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.' Eberhard Demm, professor, DPhil., Dr. ès-lettres et sciences humaines, Lyon III, France / Koszalin, Poland

Colin Loader is professor of History at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has written primarily on the history of German sociology. He is the author of The Intellectual Development of Karl Mannheim, and is the co-author or co-translator of three other books on Mannheim.

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