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[German Version] From the early Middle Ages to the modern period, hierarchical European society was based on distinct estates (Ger. Stände). An estate-based society differs from modern society based on class or strata, which arose in the 19th century, in the extreme closure of the estates: membership in an estate passed from one generation to the next, there was relatively little mobility between the estates (t…

[German Version] (Jun 22, 1897, Breslau – Aug 1, 1990, Amsterdam). In 1939 Elias published his most significant work, Über den Prozeß der Zivilisation (ET: The Civilizing Process: The History of Manners, 1978), though the work remained virtually unnoticed until a new edition was published in 1969. Elias was concerned with developing an interdisciplinary “humane science” combining psychogenesis and sociogenesis in an investigation o…

[German Version] I. Sociology – II. Comparative Study of Religions – III. Ethics I. Sociology “Elite” – from Lat. eligere “to elect” – designates a select group of persons who stand out from the crowd by virtue of distinctive features such as consanguinity, age (Old age), power, wealth, knowledge, technical, organizational or artistic skills (Competence), …

[German Version] I. History of Religions – II. Dogmatics – III. Sociology and Social History I. History of Religions Estates are socially and juridically closed groups that occupy a specific niche in society – defined by birth, social function, way of life, and frequently cultic observance. They develop in a society that is a…

[German Version] I. Study of Religion – II. History – III. Sociology – IV. Practical Theology – V. Missiology …

[German Version] I. Terminology The word society ( societas, société) has changed from a term denoting …