Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

本当のM.ヴェーバーの探求－行為と主体的行為のダイナミックな解釈アプローチ
Campbell, Colin, In Search of the Real Max Weber: A Dynamic Interpretive Approach to Action and Agency. 205 pp. 2025:8 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <753-1605>
ISBN 978-3-031-93380-6 hard ¥29,696.- (税込) EUR 119.99

This book uses the contrast between the theoretical positions of the two Max Webers - that is the Weber of the Protestant Ethic thesis and the Weber of the theory of action - as the basis for developing a theory of agency and an associated dynamic interpretive approach to action. The book critiques traditional theories of action for neglecting the physical dimension, for conflating agency with action, and contrasting the latter with behaviour. It argues that action is not just cerebral or communicative but inherently tied to effort, emotion, and imagination, with voluntarism understood in terms of attention instead of intention, and the exercise of will rather than choice. This is the basis of a "dynamic interpretivist" approach, one that integrates behavioural insights with interpretive sociology, highlighting how actors actively maintain their power of agency. The concept of "character" is also introduced as a crucial link between individual agency, ethical values, and cultural systems. This book will be of interest to researchers and students of sociology, anthropology, media studies, and criminology, as well as social theorists.

Stehr, Nico / Fleck, Christian (eds.), Paul F. Lazarsfeld, An Empirical Theory of Action: Collected Writings. 2nd ed. 316 pp. 2025:9 (Springer, GW) <753-1606>
ISBN 978-3-031-92673-0 hard ¥34,646.- (税込) EUR 139.99

This book provides a critical introduction to the key writings of Paul Lazarsfeld (1901-1976), edited by two prominent sociologists. It includes Lazarsfeld's early work on youth and occupation, which shows the intellectual influences of Austro-Marxism, academic psychology, and the philosophy of the Vienna Circle, and how they were applied to specific social issues. They also show how Lazarsfeld's concerns about the intellectual and methodological aspects of sociology, which foreshadowed some of the major issues in current sociological methods, played an important role in shaping the direction of the discipline in the United States. The essays demonstrate how Lazarsfeld laid many of the foundations for reliable social survey techniques and qualitative methods for understanding key aspects of contemporary society. Some examples of these aspects are voting studies, opinion polling, occupational research, and mass media research. Lazarsfeld's early work in "administrative research" laid the groundwork for a lot of market and business research. The essays in this book are accompanied by a detailed and illuminating biographical introduction by the editors. This collection is an important addition to the history of 20th-century sociology. It is also the only English-language source of Paul Lazarsfeld's early writings.