Long known as a pioneer in the sociological study of communications and of the middle class, Hans Speier is being rediscovered by younger scholars as a seminal member of the second generation of sociologists that followed the classic thinkers of the turn of the century. Dr Speier introduces this collection of his most significant essays with an autobiographical chapter discussing the evolution of his work. The essays are grouped in five categories: social theory, war and militarism, public opinion and propaganda, the history of literature, and `the present and the future'. They include writings on honour and social structure, hero worship, militarism in the eighteenth century, psychological warfare, and Shakespeare's The Tempest, among others. Sophisticated and eloquent, these essays will appeal to scholars in numerous fields as those interested in the development of sociological thought in the twentieth century.

Long known as a pioneer in the sociological study of communications and of the middle class, and as a prominent member of the New School''s "University in Exile," Hans Speier here presents a humanist view of the darker side of contemporary civilization and offers insights into the nature of social order and the role of uncommon people in it: the Hero, the Fool, and the political philosopher. After an autobiographical discussion of the evolution of his works, this collection of seminal essays that span his whole career surveys five areas of thought: social theory, war and militarism, public opinion and propaganda, the history of literature, and "the present and the future." Reflecting the range of his intellectual concerns and his experience as a refugee from Nazi Germany, his writings examine honor and social structure, hero worship, militarism in the eighteenth century, psychological warfare, and Shakespeare''s The Tempest, among other topics.

Long known as a pioneer in the sociological study of communications and of the middle class, Hans Speier is being rediscovered by younger scholars as a seminal member of the second generation of sociologists that followed the classic thinkers of the turn of the century. Dr Speier introduces this collection of his most significant essays with an autobiographical chapter discussing the evolution of his work. The essays are grouped in five categories: social theory, war and militarism, public opinion and propaganda, the history of literature, and `the present and the future'. They include writings on honour and social structure, hero worship, militarism in the eighteenth century, psychological warfare, and Shakespeare's The Tempest, among others. Sophisticated and eloquent, these essays will appeal to scholars in numerous fields as those interested in the development of sociological thought in the twentieth century.

Long known as a pioneer in the sociological study of communications and of the middle class, and as a prominent member of the New School''s "University in Exile," Hans Speier here presents a humanist view of the darker side of contemporary civilization and offers insights into the nature of social order and the role of uncommon people in it: the Hero, the Fool, and the political philosopher. After an autobiographical discussion of the evolution of his works, this collection of seminal essays that span his whole career surveys five areas of thought: social theory, war and militarism, public opinion and propaganda, the history of literature, and "the present and the future." Reflecting the range of his intellectual concerns and his experience as a refugee from Nazi Germany, his writings examine honor and social structure, hero worship, militarism in the eighteenth century, psychological warfare, and Shakespeare''s The Tempest, among other topics.