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[German Version] I. Terminology The word society ( societas, société) has changed from a term denoting particular forms and modes of human coexistence to a term (in both sg. and pl.) denoting the totality of human coexistence; it has thus become the basic term of the theoretical sciences that deal with human coexistence. The German equivalent, Gesellschaft (from OHG sal, “room,” and selida, “dwelling place”), suggests ties that arise from sharing the same room (cf. Geselle, “apprentice,” etymologically “someone ¶ sharing accommodations” with a master) or belonging to the sa…

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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…

[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 interd…

[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 already stratified. Those who exercise political and religious control (Dominion) in such soc…

[German Version] I. Study of Religion – II. History – III. Sociology – IV. Practical Theology – V. Missiology I. Study of Religion The term modernization usually refers to mutually reinforcing structural changes in various social sectors: nation building and democratization in the political sector; industrialization and tertiarization (i.e. the development of services) in the economic sector; urbanization, educational expansion, and mobilization in the social sector; diversification and individualization in the cultural sector (Zapf). From a …