Genesis of Modernity

The Genesis of Modernity reconstructs the ideas of three of the most important social and political theorists of the Twentieth Century, Max Weber, Michel Foucault and Eric Voegelin, on the distant roots and sources of modernity.Drawing upon the conceptual tools of social theory and political philosophy, complimented by approaches based in the fields of anthropology, comparative mythology and the history of ancient philosophy, this book will prove to be a timely and valuable contribution to this developing area, bringing together the ideas of a group of social and political theorists whose work so far has remained largely unconnected. This book will be essential reading for academics and advanced students concerned with social theory, political theory, sociology, history and philosophy.

Arpad Szakolczai studied in Budapest, Hungary and has a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. From 1990 to 1998 he taught social and political theory at the European University Institute in Florence. He is now Professor of Sociology and Head of Department at University College, Cork. This book follows his Max Weber and Michel Foucault: Parallel Life-Works (1998), and Reflexive Historical Sociology (2000), also published by Routledge.