Product Description

Sociology is concerned with modern society, but has never come to terms with one of the most distinctive and horrific aspects of modernity – the Holocaust.

The book examines what sociology can teach us about the Holocaust, but more particularly concentrates upon the lessons which the Holocaust has for sociology. Bauman′s work demonstrates that the Holocaust has to be understood as deeply involved with the nature of modernity. There is nothing comparable to this work available in the sociological literature.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #30161 in Books
• Published on: 1991-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 238 pages

Review
′Modernity and the Holocaust is a very fine book. Broad in scope and penetrating in analysis, it is disturbing as its subject matter demands, yet never fails to preserve the crucial element of reflective distance out of which new or more acute knowledge is able to emerge.′ Times Higher Education Supplement

′Such is the concentrated brilliance of this study that it is sure to find an appreciative audience in every field of research which touches on the Holocaust.′ Times Literary Supplement

′This is a profound book, brilliant in its insights ... It demands wide readership.′ Political Studies

′The book should be widely read by students of the social sciences, since it is, apart from a provocative analysis of explanations of genocide, a critique of sociology, which Bauman claims has neglected the ethical dilemmas posed by the destruction of the Jews.′ Sociology

From the Back Cover
Sociology is concerned with modern society, but has never come to terms with one of the most distinctive and horrific aspects of modernity – the Holocaust.

The book examines what sociology can teach us about the Holocaust, but more particularly concentrates upon the lessons which the Holocaust has for sociology. Bauman′s work demonstrates that the Holocaust has to be understood as deeply involved with the nature of modernity. There is nothing comparable to this work available in the sociological literature.

About the Author
Zygmunt Bauman is the author of many works including Legislators and Interpreters (Polity Press) and Modernity and Ambivalence (Polity Press). He was also awarded the Theodor W. Adorno Prize in 1998.

Customer Reviews

An incredible insight into the horrors of the Holocaust
Bauman's elucidation of the significance of the Holocaust is simply magnificent. He combines his exploration of the historical facts with a brave interpretation of the sociological significance of the horrifying events of the Second World War, maintaining a style that is simultaneously readable, informative and undeniably sensitive to the tricky subject matter.

Bauman's revelation, as the title suggests, is that, rather than being an event based on barbarism and a twisted sense morality, the Holocaust embodied the self-evident principles of the Modern World; rationality, hierarchies of power and distancing from personal culpability. He backs up his argument using a multitude of examples, and remains persuasive throughout.

Modernity and the Holocaust is a must for any Sociology students out there, but also for anyone with an open mind who is willing to accept how far-reaching the consequences of living through modernity truly are. Undoubtedly a five-star book...

Brilliant and disturbing
I would like to join my voice to the two previous reviewers - the book definitely deserves it. It was an academic success 15 years ago when it was published and it still remains a very significant event academically. Moreover, its impact on social thinking becomes more and more visible with time. Surely, Bauman was not the only thinker who warned about the dangers of modernity - Max Weber, for example, was concerned about modern "disenchantment" and victory of formal rationality over substantive rationality. Still, these were mostly theoretical concerns mitigated by the belief in eventual progress. The most disturbing part of Bauman's book is that progress may not be synonymous with happiness and a bright future. Using a wealth of historical material and demonstrating an outstanding erudition, Bauman showed how neatly the horrors of the Holocaust fit into what is cherished as achievements and advantages of modernity: effectiveness, efficiency, organization, predictability, etc. It is also a very powerful warning against unreserved reliance on modernity (and modern institutions) as a panacea for social diseases and outright barbarity. It is a difficult but rewarding reading.

Brilliant and challenging
This is very heavy going, partly because of the academic sociology, but mainly because of the harrowing subject matter.

It is a very important book, and worth making the effort to read. Its argument is deeply troubling for those who still have the comforting illusion that modernity and sophisticated civilisation will lead to humane outcomes. Bauman argues persuasively that the Nazis' Final Solution to exterminate the Jews was possible only in a sophisticated, bureacratic modern society and that it is a huge mistake to assume that the Holocaust was a throwback to uncivilised barbarity. What the Nazis did was barbaric, but it was the product of civilisation and modernity. It might seem irrational, but only if you have a different world view from the Nazis. They rationally followed the logic of their evil philosophy through to its appalling conclusion. That's a lesson that must be learnt. We have not "progressed" beyond the Nazis. They don't belong to a state of civil development and progress we've left behind. Given the right circumstances it could all happen again.