Feudal America

Elements of the Middle Ages in Contemporary Society

Häftad, Engelska, 2012

869 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar. Fri frakt för medlemmar vid köp för minst 249 kr.

Do Americans live in a liberal capitalist society, where evenhanded competition rules the day, or a society in which big money, private security, and personal relations determine key social outcomes? Vladimir Shlapentokh and Joshua Woods argue that the answer to these questions cannot be found among the conventional models used to describe the nation. Offering a new analytical tool, the authors present a provocative explanation of the nature of contemporary society by comparing its essential characteristics to those of medieval European societies. Their feudal model emphasizes five elements: the weakness of the state and its inability to protect its territory, guarantee the security of its citizens, and enforce laws; conflicts and collusions between and within organizations that involve corruption and other forms of illegal or semilegal actions; the dominance of personal relations in political and economic life; the prevalence of an elitist ideology; and the use of private agents and organizations for the provision of safety and security. Feudal America urges readers to suspend their forward-thinking and futurist orientations, question linear notions of social and historical progression, and look for explanations of contemporary social problems in medieval European history.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2012-12-15
Mått152 x 229 x 13 mm
Vikt281 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor184
FörlagPennsylvania State University Press
ISBN9780271037820

Tillhör följande kategorier

Sociologi inom Samhälle och politik

ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1.The Feudal Model in Social Analysis: From Medieval Europe to Contemporary America2.Feudal, Liberal, and Authoritarian Models as Tools for Analyzing the Middle Ages and Contemporary American Society3.Big Money and Corporations as Promoters of Feudal Tendencies4.The Feudal Model and the Organizational Level of Analysis5.Private Coercion: A Feudal Aspect of Contemporary American Society6.Personal Relations in American Politics and Business: A Feudal PhenomenonConclusionReferencesIndex

“Shlapentokh and Woods have not merely shed new light on American society, but have also contributed to an emerging way of theorizing. What they have done is analogous to what Impressionism did for art, showing that the same landscape might be revealed in different ways when viewed from multiple perspectives. And, like those of the Impressionists, their insights will challenge the status quo in sociological theory. In particular, they argue against the totalizing tendencies of most theorists. In place of an all-encompassing theory, they propose a ‘segmented’ neo-Weberian approach that is historically grounded but also self-limiting. Thus, the feudal model is proposed as one among several ideal types—other major types are authoritarian and liberal—that might fruitfully be used to interrogate American society.”—Lawrence Busch, Michigan State University and Lancaster University