Georg Simmel

by David Frisby

Georg Simmel predicted that he would have no followers after his death. However he is now widely recognized as the father of the sociology of Modernity. His ideas on the metropolis, consumer culture, social space and aesthetics are at the crux of contemporary debate in sociology. This collection brings together the essential secondary literature on Simmel. It is selected and edited by David Frisby - a scholar who has perhaps done more than anyone else to rehabilitate Simmel's reputation in the English speaking world. What emerges is the most concise yet comprehensive view of this astonishingly prescient and penetrating sociologist. The volumes will be of interest to graduate students and anyone with a serious interest in Simmel.

Genres: Sociology

120 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1984

About the author

David Frisby was Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and author of Cityscapes of Modernity: Critical Explorations (Cambridge, 2001).

Reviews

[Cate Andrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Georg Simmel's image of the lonely crowd stands out for me. The image of country people moving to larger, newer cities moving en masses with a crowd to and from work. The crowd shifts perspective from family, small community and rural work to factories, offices and department stores. New streets and transport brings new connections and possibilities as well as a new way of perceiving lonliness: in a crowd how does an individual feel? Centre or periphery, externalities is a form of CBT to combat this anxiety or feeling alone. The cities transformed people financially, socially and religiously.
I enjoyed Simmel and Frisby's book was worth it for discussions of films like Fritz Lang's Metropolis and social relations for mental awareness and environmental impacts.

[alternBRUNO°° · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una interesante introducción al trabajo de un clásico olvidado y recién recuperado. El panorama general hace ver a Simmel más que solo un sociologo, y lo coloca como alguien preocupado por la vida cotidiana y cultural.

[Pedro · Rating 2 out of 5]

É um livro que cumpre seus propósitos como introdução, ainda que não tenha satisfeito minhas demandas (queria aprender mais sobre o Simmel epistemológo, ou mesmo sobre o ensaísta de arte). Deve ter sido uma opção do autor (ou mesmo uma diretriz imposta), mas o fato é que se trata de um Simmel eminentemente sociológico.