Books by Claus (Humboldt University Offe

Today Europe finds itself in a crisis that casts a dark shadow over an entire generation. The seriousness of the crisis stems from one core political contradiction at the heart of the European project: namely, that what urgently needs to be done is also extremely unpopular and therefore virtually impossible to do democratically.

* A highly topical book which examines the intellectual history of comparing Europe and the United States. * Claus Offe considers the perspectives adopted by three of Europe's greatest social scientists - Alexis de Tocqueville, Max Weber and Theodor W. Adorno - in their comparative writings on Europe and the US.

In recent years the countries of eastern Europe have been undergoing a process of rapid social and political transformation. This process has brought with it common problems experienced on different levels: economic crisis, growing social insecurity and injustice, ethnic conflicts and civil strife.

Offe is one of the foremost social scientists today; this book brings together his key writings. Highly original study of transformations in Central and Eastern Europe, and of their implications, west and east.