Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Contributors -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Towards a 'central theory': the scope and relevance of the sociology of Norbert Elias -- Introduction -- Elias's major works: an intellectual and historiographical route-map -- Elaborations: the scope and relevance of 'figurational sociology' -- Notes -- References -- Part I Sociology as a human science: Norbert Elias and the sociology of knowledge -- 2 From distance to detachment: knowledge and self-knowledge in Elias's theory of involvement and detachment -- Introduction: after Weber -- Weber scrutinized: Mannheim, Kris and Elias -- Involvement and detachment as a balance -- Secondary involvement and the sociological vocation -- Concluding remarks: detachment in a new key -- Note -- References -- 3 Ecology, 'human nature' and civilizing processes: biology and sociology in the work of Norbert Elias -- Introduction -- Sociology as science: contributions to epistemology and the sociology of knowledge -- Reflexive evolution of humanity -- The biosphere within the anthroposphere -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- 4 Between the real and the reified: Elias on time -- Introduction -- Elias on time -- 'Time' and time -- References -- Part II Processes of stratification: figurations of race, class and gender -- 5 Aspects of the figurational dynamics of racial stratification: a conceptual discussion and developmental analysis of black-white relations in the United States -- Introduction -- 'Race' relations and class -- The concept of caste -- Established-outsider relations -- 'Race'-relations as a dominance-subordination figuration -- From slavery to the urban ghetto: a figurational-developmental analysis of 'race' relations in the United States -- Plantation slavery -- Colour castes -- Urban ghettoes -- Notes -- References.

6 Decivilizing and demonizing: the remaking of the black America ghetto -- I THE SOCIAL AND SYMBOLIC REMAKING OF THE BLACK GHETTO -- The de-civilizing of the ghetto -- The depacification of everyday life and the erosion of public space -- The organizational desertification of the ghetto -- Social dedifferentiation and economic informalization -- The invention of the 'underclass', or the demonizing of the black ghetto sub-proletariat -- Genesis of a scholarly myth -- 'Gang-bangers' and 'welfare mothers': a fantasmatic social threat -- CODA: WHAT USE IS THE UNDERCLASS? -- I I ELIAS IN THE DARK GHETTO -- The ghetto in light of figurational sociology -- Depacification, desertification and informalization rearticulated -- State retrenchment and hyperghettoization -- From social safety net to penal dragnet -- Notes -- References -- 7 Elias on class and stratification -- Introduction -- Marx and Weber on class: some shared assumptions -- Elias and class -- Notes -- References -- 8 Elias on gender relations: the changing balance of power between the sexes -- Introduction -- The riddle of male power -- Shifts in the balance of power -- Towards a more equalized power ratio -- Civilization - blindness -- Stubborn inequalities -- Notes -- References -- Part III The formation of individuals and states -- 9 Not so exceptional? State-formation processes in America -- Introduction -- Elias's account of the formation of states in Western Europe -- The North American elimination contest -- Manifest destiny and latent dynamics -- 'Sovereignty' as a function of power ratios -- Beyond manifest destiny: the beginnings of an American empire -- Conclusion: the Dubya Addendum -- Notes -- References -- 10 Armed peace: on the pacifying condition for the 'cooperative of states'.

The issue: interdependency, compulsion and consensus in the establishment of peaceable and cooperative behaviour -- The historical pattern of the state process -- The rule: violent pacification is the precursor to peaceful modes of cooperation and competition -- The exception: federalism or voluntary 'self-pacification' -- Recent developments -- The rule: elimination and integration -- The reverse rule: disintegration and the proliferation of political territories -- The exception: mutual nuclear deterrence -- Conclusion -- The dual order: hegemony and reciprocity -- Three stages of cooperation -- References -- 11 Changing regimes of manners and emotions: from disciplining to informalizing -- Introduction -- The study of manners and emotion management -- The period of courts and courtesy -- From courtesy to etiquette -- The expansion of good society -- Processes of formalization and conscience formation: second nature -- The twentieth century: a long-term process of informalization -- Conclusion -- References -- 12 Elias and modern penal development -- Introduction -- Elias, sociology and punishment -- Civilized punishment -- The decline and subsequent disappearance of punishments to the human body -- The disappearance of prisons and prisoners -- The sanitization of penal language -- The amelioration of penal sanctions -- Decivilizing counter-trends -- Punishments to the human body -- Prisons and prisoners -- Penal language -- Penal sanctions -- Notes -- References -- 13 Elias, Freud and Goffman: shame as the master emotion -- Introduction -- Freud on shame and repression -- Elias on civilization -- Reception of Elias's book -- Goffman's looking-glass self -- Discussion -- Notes -- References -- Part IV Religion and civilizing processes: Weber and Elias compared.

14 Weber and Elias on religion and violence: warrior charisma and the civilizing process -- Introduction: charisma, routinization and the civilizing process -- Weber and Elias on religion and civilization -- Military techniques and charisma: the Cheyenne -- Conclusion -- Note -- References -- 15 Christian religion and the European civilizing process: the views of Norbert Elias and Max Weber compared in the context of the Augustinian and Lucretian traditions -- Introduction -- Norbert Elias on the European civilizing process -- Max Weber on the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism -- The Augustinian tradition -- The Lucretian tradition -- The two traditions reconsidered -- Conclusion -- Notes -- References -- Index.