Stimulation for this study, first published in 1981, came from working on the translation and introduction to Simmel's "The Philosophy of Money" (Routledge 1978; new edition 1990). It was intended as a provocative introduction to some aspects of Simmel's social theory. It challenged many earlier conceptions of Simmel's work, most notably the view that Simmel produced a "formal" sociology. It also drew out the significance of the aesthetic dimension in Simmel's work. A major feature of the study, presented here in its first paperback edition, is that it locates Simmel within the social and intellectual "milieu" in which he was working, by drawing upon many little known essays and pieces by Simmel and his contemporaries. A new afterword takes up new material on Simmel's aesthetic stance and confronts critical responses to the first edition of the book. Providing a critical introduction to Simmel's social theory, it should be of interest to students of sociology, philosophy, and German studies.

"The Alienated Mind" investigates the emergence and development of the sociology of knowledge in Germany in the critical period 1918-33. These years witnessed the development of distinctive paradigms centred on the works of Max Scheler, Georg Lukacs and Karl Mannheim. The theoretical and practical context within which the diverse strands of this tradition emerged in German social theory are investigated in order to indicate, in part, the extent to which central problems in the sociology of knowledge were located within philosophical, sociological, cultural and political crises in Germany. In the context of their development of sociologies of knowledge and culture, Scheler, Lukacs and Mannheim outlined versions of the alienation of the mind thesis: for Scheler the "powerlessness of the mind"; for Lukacs "the rectification of consciousness"; for Mannheim "the homelessness of the mind". Each theorist sought to confront base/superstructure models of the relationship between knowledge and society. How these and other themes in the sociology of knowledge were contested is illustrated in a detailed account of some of the central debates in Weimar Germany. This book should be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and academics of sociology and philosophy.

Until recently little of Simmel's work was available in translation and certain key texts were unknown outside Germany. David Frisby, the eminent Simmel scholar, provides not only an introduction to the major sociological writings of this important figure, but also an argument for a reconsideration of his work. The author outlines the cultural and historical context in which Simmel worked; reviews Simmel's most important writings; and examines his legacy to sociology by illuminating his links with Weber's theories and his influential relationship with Marxism.Simmel, a central figure in the development of modern sociology, and a contemporary of Weber and Durkheim, was one of the first to identify sociology as a separate discipline. His ideas influenced Weber, the Chicago School, and many later sociologists. His introduction of a number of basic concepts to sociology, such as exchange, interaction and differentiation, attest to his intellectual stature and the far-reaching significance of his work.

The 1980s have witnessed a steady growth of interest in the social theory of Georg Simmel. For long a neglected figure in sociology, Simmel is now recognized as an extremely shrewd and subtle commentator on the distinctive qualities of modern life. "Simmel and Since" ranges from accounts of key concepts in Simmel's theory such as that of "society" and his neglected contribution to social psychology, to aspects of his theory of modernity and his place in contemporary debates on postmodernity. The main body of the text examines aspects of Simmel's social theory of modernity, its context, its economic aspects, and its relevance for present debates on the metropolis, social space, leisure, aesthetics and postmodernity. All of the chapters are grounded in a study of original sources.

'I have lost interest ... in all that I have written prior to The Philosophy of Money. This one is really my book, the others appear to me colourless and seem as if they could have been written by anyone else.' - Georg Simmel to Heinrich Rickert (1904)In The Philosophy of Money, Simmel provides us with a remarkably wide-ranging discussion of the social, psychological and philosophical aspects of the money economy, full of brilliant insights into the forms that social relationships take. He analyzes the relationships of money to exchange, the human personality, the position of women, individual freedom and many other areas of human existence. Later he provides us with an account of the consequences of the modern money economy and the division of labour, which examines the processes of alienation and reification in work, urban life and elsewhere. Perhaps, more than any of his other sociological works, The Philosophy of Money gives us an example of his comprehensive analysis of the interrelationships between the most diverse and seemingly connected social phenomena.This revised edition of the translation by Tom Bottomore and David Frisby, includes a new Preface by David Frisby.

The modern metropolis has been one of the crucial sites for the exploration of modernity since at least the mid-nineteenth century. In this new volume, David Frisby provides an original and critical examination of the construction and experience of metropolitan modernity. Drawing on a rich variety of sources, Frisby seeks to reveal some key features of metropolitan experience in modernity. Among the issues examined are Benjamin's account of the flaneur and its relevance for social investigation and urban detection; Simmel's influential essay on the metropolis; contrasting interpretations of fin-de-siecle Berlin and Vienna by Sombart; the work of Otto Wagner; and the response to the modern metropolis as highlighted in German Expressionism and Weimar Berlin. Cityscapes of Modernity will be a valuable text for students of sociology, social theory, urban theory, cultural studies and architectural history, as well as all those interested in the urban culture of modernity. (view table of contents)