Elias Canetti and Social Theory

Elias Canetti is a key thinker in the trend towards the renewal of social theory for the 21st century. He is increasingly being recognised in the social and political sciences for the seminal text <i>Crowds and Power</i>(1960). While this work can sometimes be criticised for its alleged anti-historicity anti-modernism fixation on death and a dark vision of humankind <i>Crowds and Power</i>can in fact be interpreted as a study and a critique<i></i>of the mono-dimensionality and the obsessiveness of power. In Canetti's own words it is an attempt 'to find the weak spot of power' and ultimately an invitation to recognise and explore the endless richness of human transformations. <br/><br/><i>Elias Canetti and Social Theory</i>argues that the alleged anti-modernism of Canetti actually makes him <i>more</i> contemporary than many contemporary social-political thinkers. It deals with key concepts within socio-political theory including: commands increase resistance and commonality. Each of these ideas is connected with real lived social realities making this book a compelling argument for Canetti's crucial relevance today.