Introduction to Max Weber’s article ‘The “Threatening” of the Reich Constitution’

In May 1904 Max Weber published a short article in the Frankfurter Zeitung. It has gone unnoticed in the extensive Weber literature and it appears here in English translation for the first time. It is an important statement of Weber’s political views after his withdrawal from his active political engagement in the 1890s. He defends the Reich Constitution from attack and a possible coup d’état. He demands that the German Parliament (Reichstag) stand up to autocratic plans, closely linked to Emperor William II, to suppress democracy and voting rights. A constitutional conflict would require not a great statesman but an ‘unscrupulous idiot or a political adventurer’ who would undermine ‘all our institutions and the security of law for many generations’. The article marks the start (earlier than previously assumed in the literature) of Weber’s consistent championing of Parliament and democratic institutions.

Are the Chinese in Africa more innovative than the Africans ? Comparing Chinese and Nigerian entrepreneurial migrants‘ Cultures of Innovation

ABSTRACt & RÉSUMÉ : The remarkable influx of Chinese migrant entrepreneurs in West Africa has been met with growing resistance from established African entrepreneurs. Whether the Chinese have a competitive edge over Africans because of distinctive sociocultural traits or whether the Chineseʹs supposed effectiveness is just a characteristic feature of any trading diaspora is open to question. This comparative exploratory study of Chinese and Nigerian entrepreneurial migrants in Ghana and Benin provides initial answers to these questions. Apparently, the cultural stimuli for migrant drivers of change are not restricted to inherited value systems and religions, such as a Protestant ethic or Confucianism. Rather, they are continually adapted and invented anew by transnational migration networks in a globalized world. There is no evidence of the supposed superiority of the innovative culture of Chinese entrepreneurial migrants versus that of African entrepreneurial migrants. Instead, there exist trading diasporas which have a generally enhanced innovative capacity vis-àvis local entrepreneurs, regardless of the national culture in which they are embedded. In addition, the rivalry of Chinese and Nigerian migrant entrepreneurs in African markets does not necessarily lead to the often suspected cut-throat competition. Often the actions of each group are complementary and mutual benefiting to those of the other. Under certain conditions they even contribute to poverty alleviation in the host country. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RÉSUMÉ: [Les Chinois en Afrique sont-ils plus innovants que les Africains? Comparaison des cultures d'innovation des migrants entrepreneurs chinois et nigérians] L'afflux remarquable des entrepreneurs migrants chinois en Afrique de l'Ouest a été heurté à la résistance croissante de la part des entrepreneurs africains établis. Que les premiers ont un avantage concurrentiel sur ce dernier en raison des traits culturelles distinctifs ou que la prétendue efficacité des Chinois est simplement une caractéristique de toute diaspora commercial est ouvert à la question. Cette étude comparative exploratoire de migrants entrepreneuriales chinois et nigérians au Ghana et au Bénin offre des premières réponses à cette question. Apparemment, les stimuli culturels des migrants pilotes du changement ne sont pas limités à des systèmes des valeurs hérité ou à des valeurs religieuses, comme l’éthique protestante (Max Weber) ou le confucianisme. Plutôt, ils sont continuellement adaptés et inventés de nouveau par les réseaux de la migration transnationale dans un monde globalisé. Il n'y a aucune preuve de la prétendue supériorité de la culture d'innovation des migrants chinois par rapport à celle des migrants africains entrepreneurials. Plutôt, il existe des diasporas commerciaux qui ont une capacité d'innovation renforcée en générale vis-à-vis des entrepreneurs locaux, indépendamment de la culture nationale dans laquelle ils sont intégrés. En outre, la rivalité des entrepreneurs migrants chinois et nigérians dans les marchés africains ne conduit pas nécessairement à la concurrence coupe-gorge souvent soupçonnée. Souvent, les actions de chaque groupe sont complémentaires créant un bénéfice mutuel. Sous certaines conditions, cette situation peut même contribuer à une réduction de la pauvreté dans le pays d'accueil.

The Eksploitasi Anak dalam Tradisi Pacuan Kuda Pada Masyarakat Dompu

The problem studied in this study is the exploitation of children in the tradition of horse racing in the Dompu community. The purpose of this study is to find out the form of expolocitation of children who act as child jockeys in community traditions in Dompu Regency, knowing the implications of parental parenting on the choice of being a child jockey in Dompu regency and knowing the potential implementation of child protection based on Law No. 35 of 2014 on child jockeys. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach. The data collection techniques used are methods of observation, in-depth interviews and documentation. Analysis of data in this study in the form of narratives obtained during interview activities, as well as some documents related to research topics. Using the paradigm in social definition, with the theory used in this study is the social theory of Max Weber. The results of this study found that (1). A form of child exploitation that acts as a child jockey in the community tradition in Dompu Regency. Consisting of parental coercion, the risk of accidents of child jockeys, safety and health are threatened, educational challenges and an environment that is not conducive (2). Implications of parental parenting on the choice of being a child jockey in Dompu Regency. Consists of parenting models, family economic resources and hereditary habits (3). The potential implementation of child protection under Law number 35 of 2014 on child jockeys. Consisting of a system of resusing and protecting the use of child jockeys, government regulations related to the use of children as child jockeys and horse racing are used as tourism promotion sectors of Dompu Regency, becoming a characteristic of the Dompu Regency area.

Alternative View of Modernity: The Subaltern Speaks

This article derives from my 2021 ASA presidential address. I examine how sociologists including Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and white American sociologists have omitted key determinants of modernity in their accounts of this pivotal development in world history. Those determinants are white supremacy, western empires, racial hierarchies, colonization, slavery, Jim Crow, patriarchy, and resistance movements. This article demonstrates that any accounts omitting these determinants will only produce an anemic and misleading analysis of modernity. The central argument maintains that the sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois developed a superior analysis of modernity by analytically centering these determinants. I conclude by making a case for the development of an emancipatory sociology in the tradition of Du Boisian critical sociological thought.

Kirchen als Gemeinschaftswerk - Zu den wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Grundlagen frühneuzeitlichen Sakralbaus

Praktische Fragen des «gewöhnlichen» Kirchenbaus vom 17. bis zum frühen 19. Jahrhundert stehen im Mittelpunkt dieses Buches: Es geht etwa um Voraussetzungen, Anlass und Motivationen zum Bau, Organisation, Kosten, Finanzierung, Trägerschichten, Stiftungen, Fronarbeit. Es ist ein Beitrag zu einer Kirchengeschichte «von unten», das heisst aus der Sicht des gewöhnlichen Volkes. Die Studie erfasst die katholische Schweiz, die partienweise eine enorm reiche barocke Sakrallandschaft samt einer sehr guten Quellenlage aufweist. Gerade weil heute das jahrhundertelang bestehende Pfarrkirchensystem in Frage gestellt ist, ist es angebracht, sich historisch mit dem Thema zu befassen. Auch Probleme der verschiedenen Konfessionskulturen, der Max-Weber-These und von Individualismus versus Gemeinsinn werden diskutiert.

La burocracia en México: una breve aproximación desde la teoría de la dominación de Max Weber

<p>El objetivo general en el presente texto es hacer una breve caracterización de la burocracia mexicana con base en los planteamientos teóricos de Max Weber. En un primer momento, señalo las formas de dominación weberiana deteniéndome en el carácter y funciones de la estructura burocrática, así como las atribuciones que debe adoptar un funcionario público. De forma complementaria, abordo las tesis centrales de Michel Crozier, Joan Subirats y Oscar Oszlak, quienes han problematizado y replanteado la obra de Weber en torno a la burocracia. Luego, expongo someramente los cambios en el sistema político mexicano y el proceso de modernización experimentado por México a lo largo del siglo xx que incidieron en la configuración de un patrimonialismo burocrático. Por último, intento describir algunos rasgos de la burocracia mexicana identificando diferencias y, en su caso, similitudes con el modelo normativo-institucional propuesto por Weber.</p>

Discourses on Corruption:Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Perspectives

Corruption, often described as all that is rotten in the modern society, has become an increasingly dominant theme in contemporary political discourse, one that is related to specific practices, concepts and evaluations that vary across regions, cultures, spheres of action and disciplines. This volume, through case studies, investigates corruption in the Global South (especially India and Brazil) and West (especially Switzerland) to gain a more nuanced view of the phenomenon. The chapters in this volume are organized into two loosely structured and overlapping parts: the first part consisting of Chapters 2¬¬–5 covers conceptual questions related to corruption discourses from different perspectives such as economic ethics, social capital theory and literature; the second part consisting of Chapters 6–11 details the complexity and diversity of corruption practices within and between countries and regions, providing different interpretative frameworks, which in turn flow into discourses on corruption. Kalpana Kannabiran is an Independent Sociologist and Lawyer, Hyderabad, India. Bettina Hollstein is Managing Director, Max Weber Centre for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies, University of Erfurt, Germany. Florian F. Hoffmann is a Professor of Law, Department of Law, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Brazil.

Augusto Comte revisitado: Positivismo, sociologia e intervenção social

Nas ciências sociais uma obra clássica é uma referência para as gerações futuras de especialistas que usufruem de suas contribuições teóricas, conceituais, analíticas e metodológicas no desenvolvimento de novas pesquisas e permanente aperfeiçoamento do conhecimento. Entre os clássicos da sociologia, em particular os teóricos da fase de surgimento desta ciência social, o pensamento sociológico de Augusto Comte é considerado de menor relevância comparado a Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim e Max Weber. Todavia, ao analisar a trajetória intelectual de Augusto Comte este artigo sustenta que suas teorias e análises foram fundamentais para a constituição e o desenvolvimento ulterior da sociologia.