Drawing on Weber’s metaphor of an ‘iron cage’, discuss the ways in which modern society has been ‘rationalised’ and ‘bureaucratised’.
Some References to look at:
R Sennett (2006) The Culture of the New Capitalism, Yale University Press
N Gane (2012) Max Weber and Contemporary Capitalism, Palgrave Macmillan
M Weber – ‘The origins of industrial capitalism in Europe’, ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of
Capitalism’, and ‘Economy and Society’ in W Runciman (ed) (1978) Weber: Selections in
Translation
K. Allen (2004) Max Weber, Pluto
A Giddens (1971) Capitalism and Modern Social Theory, Cambridge, Part 3
J. Joseph (2003) Social Theory, Edinburgh, pp. 94-127
W. Swatos and L. Kaeber (eds) (2005) The Protestant Ethic Turns 100, Paradigm
J. Hughes, W. Sharrock and P. Martin (2003) Understanding Classical Sociology, Sage, pp 87-
144
R Collins (1986) Max Weber: a Skeleton Key, Sage
H Gerth and C Wright Mills (1991) From Max Weber, Routledge, esp. ‘Introduction’
R. Bendix (1977) Max Weber: An Intellectual Portrait, University of California
D Wrong (ed) (1970) Max Weber, Prentice Hall
R Aron [1967] 1990 Main Currents of Sociological Thought Vol. 2, Penguin
S. Miles (2001) Social Theory in the Real World, Sage, ch. 6, ‘A McDonaldized Society’
F. Parkin (2002) Max Weber, Routledge, a good short book
S Zuboff (1988) In the age of the smart machine: the future of work and power, Basic Books
R. Bologh (1990) Love or greatness: Max Weber and masculine thinking -a feminist enquiry