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Zusatztext 'The French Foreign Legion is one of the most famous military forces in the world but up until now it has not been the subject of systematic academic attention. Mikaela Sundberg has just changed that. In a penetrating ethnography! she exposes the lifeworld of the legionnaire to critical sociological attention. The book represents a major contribution to the study of the armed forces and will be essential reading to all those interested in contemporary military transformation.' - Anthony King! University of Exeter! UK 'Sundberg's inside view of life in the Foreign Legion shows how an oppressively controlling organization generates a mystique for its own members. Her new theory of atomistic unity explains how it functions without personal solidarity and across an international diversity of ethnicities and languages! making it paradoxically one of the most global of organizations.' - Randall Collins! University of Pennsylvania! USA 'This wonderfully fascinating book is unique in combining classic and contemporary social theory with empirically rich ethnographic data. Sundberg makes a valuable contribution to organisational sociology through her concept of atomistic unity! which describes the social network of impersonal ties that unite members across hierarchical ranks. Focusing on the informal mechanisms of social control that operate through everyday life in the regimental barracks! she highlights practices of peer surveillance! interaction rituals! greedy ties and secondary adjustments! which create social solidarity and loyalty to the Legion.' - Susie Scott! University of Sussex! UK'... a valuable and lively addition to the sociology of organizations.' - Contemporary Sociology'... sharp ethnographic study.' - Sociologisk forskning Informationen zum Autor Mikaela Sundberg is Professor in the Department of Sociology at Stockholm University, Sweden. Klappentext Informed by a modified version of Goffman's original concept of the total organization, A Sociology of the Total Organization untangles the French Foreign Legion and the ways in which different kinds of social orders interplay there. This book shows how atomistic unity is not limited to greedy organizations such as the military, but applies to a variety of collectivist settings. Zusammenfassung Informed by a modified version of Goffman's original concept of the total organization, A Sociology of the Total Organization untangles the French Foreign Legion and the ways in which different kinds of social orders interplay there. This book shows how atomistic unity is not limited to greedy organizations such as the military, but applies to a variety of collectivist settings. Inhaltsverzeichnis Chapter 1 Towards a Sociology of the Total Organization; Chapter 2 Belonging to the Legion; Chapter 3 Formal Rank, Status, and the Strength of Many Ties; Chapter 4 Blending Relational Expectations; Chapter 5 Sources of Knowledge; Chapter 6 Enforcement and Exclusion; Chapter 7 The Dynamics of Organization, Institution, and Networks;...
