'Unfashionable observations’ on the use and abuse of Weber

Abstract

If the impressive new wave of English language commentary is any indication, Max Weber seems to be back in fashion.1 Metaphors of awe and veneration abound, along with repeated assertions of his contemporary relevance and importance. One veteran commentator dramatically characterizes Economy and Society considered to be Weber's magnum opus as a 'sacred object' for comparativehistorical sociologists, and Weber himself, their 'totemic animal'.2 Another describes the whole Weberian oeuvre (more than thirtyfive volumes in the unfinished Gesamtausgabe, or Complete Works) as a 'deep, ill-lit cavern that faces the miner determined to dig out the seam of scholarly gold that has accrued around the name of