Cambridge Scholars Publishing Max Weber on China: Modernity and Capitalism in a Global Perspective

Who was Max Weber? How did he live? What were his dreams, desires and designs? What relationship existed between his life, his illness and his work? Why are his studies of capitalism and China still so important today? This book throws light on a problem-riddled Weber, a man lacerated by tragic contradictions, a great intellectual, nationalistic yet cosmopolitan. This investigation of his private life reveals a tender, impassioned man, who, at a time of overwhelming conflict, sought true life in love. Whether Confucianism impeded the birth of modern capitalism in China remains a controversial issue. Equally problematic is the theory of the Calvinistic origins of European capitalism. Weber, however, answers both questions in an original manner, while also providing a lesson in methodology which remains unparalleled to date. A century after his death, Max Weber remains a controversial figure of the political and social sciences. About the Author Vittorio Cotesta is Senior Professor of Sociology at Roma Tre State University, Italy. His fields of interest are global society, human rights, modernity and civilisations, as well as ethnic relations and conflict. His more recent publications include Kings into Gods. How Prostration Shaped Eurasian Civilizations (2015); Global Society and Human Rights (2012); Sociologia dello straniero (2012); Sociologia dei conflitti etnici (2009); and Images du Monde et société globale. Grandes interprétations et débats actuels (2006).