On Social Closure

Jürgen Mackert is Professor of Sociology at the University of Potsdam, Germany. He was a temporary professor for the 'structure of modern societies' at the University of Erfurt (2004/05) and a visiting professor of political sociology at Humboldt University (2008/09).

• Acknowledgments Introduction: A New Approach to Social Closure Part I: The Misguided Path of the "Theory of Social Closure"Chapter 1: A Critical Discussion of The Theory of Social ClosureChapter 2: Frank Parkin: Social Closure as Exclusion and UsurpationChapter 3: Raymond Murphy: Rules, Structures, and Forms of Social ClosureChapter 4: Critical Shortcomings of the Theory of Social ClosureChapter 5: Going Beyond the Theory of Social Closure Part II: Basic Terms, Concepts and Methodology for Closure TheoryChapter 6: Reconsidering, Problematizing, and Introducing Critical Concepts for Closure TheoryReconsidering Max Weber's ApproachChapter 7: Max Weber's Critical Basic Terms for Theorizing Social Closure ReconsideredChapter 8: Max Weber's Closure Analyses: Three ContextsChapter 9: Beyond Max Weber: Towards a New Idea of Social ClosureNew Concepts for Closure TheoryChapter 10: "Group Action" and "Acting in Solidarity"Chapter 11: Power in Closure AnalysisChapter 12: "Life Chances/Chances of Survival": The Real Goal of Closure StrugglesChapter 13: Discussion Part III: Theorizing Social ClosureChapter 14: A New Approach to Social ClosureConceptualizationChapter 15: Three Forms of Social ClosureChapter 16: Power and Social ClosureChapter 17: A New Concept of "Life-Chances/Chances of Survival" in the Opportunity StructureChapter 18: Reorganizing Relations of Social Closure: The Two Critical Mechanisms "Denial of Access" and "Intervention into Community Closure"Chapter 19: A New Concept of Social Closure TypologyChapter 20: A Typology of Social ClosureExplanationChapter 21: Towards an Explanation of Social ClosureChapter 22: Explaining Social ClosureChapter 23: The Explanatory Logics of Social Closure Conclusion: Social Closure and the Global Struggle for Life Chances/Chances of Survival ReferencesIndex

Bridging a classical locus of social theory, Mackert produces a new and robust theory of social closure that contributes to the growth of a genuinely global theory. The book breaks solid ground for our understanding of the effects of capitalism and the resilience of colonial formations. Mackert's ability to connect empirical and historical analysis with refined and very clear conceptual and theoretical steps is prodigious and unparalleled.