In Search of the Real Max Weber: A Dynamic Interpretive Approach to Action and Agency

By: Colin Campbell

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Synopsis: This book uses the contrast between the theoretical positions of the two Max Webers - that is the Weber of the Protestant Ethic thesis and the Weber of the theory of action – as the basis for developing a theory of agency and an associated dynamic interpretive approach to action. The book critiques traditional theories of action for neglecting the physical dimension, for conflating agency with action, and contrasting the latter with behaviour. It argues that action is not just cerebral or communicative but inherently tied to effort, emotion, and imagination, with voluntarism understood in terms of attention instead of intention, and the exercise of will rather than choice. This is the basis of a "dynamic interpretivist" approach, one that integrates behavioural insights with interpretive sociology, highlighting how actors actively maintain their power of agency. The concept of "character" is also introduced as a crucial link between individual agency, ethical values, and cultural systems. This book will be of interest to researchers and students of sociology, anthropology, media studies, and criminology, as well as social theorists.