Historical sociology is on the rise, but some of the crucial figures of its development after Max Weber remain curiously neglected. This book offers a thoroughly researched reconstruction of one of them, Benjamin Nelson, who went far beyond Weber in his understanding of universalism and civilizational change.

Hans Joas, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany and Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago, USA

This book is a welcome and thought-provoking contribution; it engages with the work of an important but neglected figure in the history of civilizational theory. Nielsen´s generous but critical discussion of Benjamin Nelson´s unfinished project is more comprehensive than any other treatment so far, and particularly good on the conflicted and transformative role of ideas in history. The book will be essential reading for all those interested in the comparative study of civilizations.

Johann P. Arnason, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, La Trobe University, Australia

An underacknowledged body of thought on modernity, Benjamin Nelson's original and provocative insights into civilizations, science and culture are brought to life in the deft hands of Donald Nielsen. This book will be of immense value to anyone encountering civilizational analysis for the first time, as it will equally reward those returning to Nelson's work. Above all, Nielsen demonstrates the unique relevance of historical sociology and civilizational analysis for our troubled and crisis-ridden times.

Jeremy Smith, Professor of Sociology, Federation University, Australia

Donald Nielsen offers in this volume, following a rigorous definition of concepts delineated from the broad ranging works of Benjamin Nelson, a powerful analytic framework and an anti-positivist set of concepts that range across a spectrum from historical sociology to social theory. Moreover, as Nielsen demarcates with great clarity, Nelson's theorizing further examines concepts and procedures that provide superb analytic frameworks for the study of civilizations. In the process it offers an array of cases that explore succinct guidelines for the conceptualization of Western civilization's particular development and for the formation of civilization-specific “structures of consciousnesss.” With his powerful concepts providing a firm methodology, Nelson hopes to provide values-based guidance for researchers to investigate the manner in which different civilizations form viable pathways that stress ethics rooted in universalization .

Stephen Kalberg, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Boston University, USA