Trousson, Raymond / Vercruysse, Jeroom (dir.), Dictionnaire general de Voltaire. (Champion classiques, references et dictionnaires 18) 1272 p. 2020:10 (Champion, FR) <670-9>
ISBN 978-2-38096-016-7 paper ¥7,064.- (税込) EUR 38.00

French, Aaron, Max Weber, Rudolf Steiner, and Modern Western Esotericism: A Transcultural Approach. (Asia, Europe, and Global Connections) 230 pp. 2025:2 (Routledge, UK) <737-52>
ISBN 978-1-032-56638-2 hard ¥38,610.- (税込) GB￡ 135.00

This book challenges previous definitions of modernity by comparing Max Weber (1864-1920), often considered the most important sociologist of the twentieth century, and Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), founder of Waldorfpaedagogik and the esoteric social reform movement of anthroposophy.While acknowledging that Weber and Steiner were different in several respects, this research illustrates that the individual histories of these two thinkers are more entangled than previously recognized. This includes the influence of esotericism on their thinking, as well as their profound concern with science and technological change and an openness to the religious and philosophical concepts of the civilizations of South and East Asia.Demonstrating the importance of non-European influences for a full understanding of modernity, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Asian and European philosophy, social theory and Asian society.

個人と社会－E.デュルケームの社会学を理解する
Jayaram, N., Individual and Society: Understanding the Sociology of Emile Durkheim. 182 pp. 2025:1 (Springer, GW) <737-1301>
ISBN 978-981-9769-43-8 hard ¥25,890.- (税込) EUR 109.99

This comprehensive volume explores the foundational contributions of the eminent French sociologist Emile Durkheim. It delves into his writings in political sociology and the sociology of education. It discusses the seminal contributions of Emile Durkheim to the development of sociology as a positivist social science. It offers an in-depth analysis of Durkheim's methodological rules for studying 'social facts,' exploring critical topics like the division of labor, education, political society, state, religion, secular morality, socialism, and suicide. Chapter by chapter, the book unfolds Durkheim's life and milieu, providing insights into the background and context that fueled his conceptualization of sociology and the creation of his seminal works. From portraying sociology as an empirical science of human society to dissecting the moral basis of social order and delving into the pathology of suicides, it navigates Durkheim's multifaceted contributions. The book explores Durkheim's groundbreaking analyses of the interplay between society, religion, politics, and education. It highlights his pioneering contributions to the subdisciplines of the sociology of religion, political sociology, and the sociology of education. It underscores the contemporary relevance of Durkheim's sociological legacy. This book is highly relevant for postgraduate students and researchers in sociology, social anthropology, and social sciences in understanding Emile Durkheim's work in sociology.

Van Dam, Michiel, Languages of Belief and Early Sociology in Nineteenth-Century France: The Elementary Forms of Sociological Life. 331 pp. 2024:9 (Palgrave Macmillan, UK) <737-1302>
ISBN 978-3-031-70022-4 hard ¥30,598.- (税込) EUR 129.99

This book presents a new reading of the history of French social science and religion through an investigation of early sociology's techniques for narrating the category of belief. The author argues that by looking at the history of social sciences in this manner, we gain a deeper understanding of both our present debates on post-secularity as well as our modernist past, both of which were thoroughly shaped by their reflections and critiques on the notion of belief yet failed to enter into any sort of meaningful communication with each other. This book seeks to rectify this failure by introducing the concept of 'belief-languages', an anthropological framework designed to historicize different discussions on belief and allow for their comparative description and analysis.