Max Weber’s rationalization processes disenchantment, alienation, or anomie?

Etzrodt, Christian

Theory and Society, 2024, 53, 653-671

Number of Access:126（2025-08-14 05:38 Counts）

Identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/11094/96466

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Title
Max Weber’s rationalization processes disenchantment, alienation, or anomie?
Creator
researchmap permalink
7000013493 7000013493
Scopus Author ID
22957008000 22957008000
CreatorName
Etzrodt, Christian
Subject
Alienation
Anomie
Disenchantment
Max Weber
Rationalization process
Secularization
Description
The version of record of this article, first published in Theory and Society, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-024-09554-7.
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyze which concept describes the central theme in Max Weber’s works — the rationalization processes — best: disenchantment, alienation, or anomie. I first describe how Weber’s rationalization processes were understood in the past. Most scholars have interpreted these processes as disenchantment, although some have seen a stronger affinity to the Marxist concept of alienation. Since the majority have regarded disenchantment as the central theme of Weber’s legacy, I discuss Weber’s rare statements about the disenchantment process, most of which appear in a speech that was published later as Science as a Vocation. I then introduce definitions of key concepts (Hegelian alienation, Marxist alienation, Durkheimian anomie, and de-magification) to provide a more varied and precise vocabulary. This will aid in describing at least two different rationalization processes that can be derived from Weber’s theoretical framework (Economy and Society) and his historical studies. The first, in the economic and political sphere, can be characterized as Marxist alienation, whereas the second, in the religious sphere, can be interpreted as de-magification and Hegelian alienation. It is possible to regard Weber’s statement in Science as a Vocation as a third rationalization process, in the sphere of knowledge production, which would suggest the concepts of de-magification and anomie. However, such a reading would seem to contradict the greater body of Weber’s methodological writings. Finally, it is concluded that the term disenchantment is not a very useful concept for portraying Weber’s intended view.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Source Title
Theory and Society
Volume (Issue)
53
Page
653-671
Date of Issued
2024-05-07
Language
English
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/11094/96466
PISSN
03042421
eISSN
15737853
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DOI (Publisher Version)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-024-09554-7
Access Rights
open access
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This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Version of Record
Category
学術雑誌論文 Journal Article