Martin Albrow: Global Age Essays on Social and Cultural Change

Frankfurt am Main: Klostermann 2014

In 14 previously unpublished essays British sociologist Martin Albrow develops the Global Age thesis that he first proposed in the 90s to capture the novelty of our own epoch. He absorbs insights from Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Arnold Toynbee and Norbert Elias into a global discourse that shapes new approaches to abiding human dilemmas of faith, justice and responsibility. Even in resisting the idea that globalization and Americanization are inevitable he argues that framing our time as global promotes a collective response to the challenges facing humankind. The hope for a human future depends on a normative ordering of global society, on global governance that allows local, national and global cultures to co-exist and thrive.