{"id":33894,"date":"2025-02-18T11:29:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T11:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/?p=33894"},"modified":"2025-03-14T14:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T14:06:21","slug":"johann-pall-arnason-austur-vestur-og-aftur-heim-greinar-um-samfelagsheimspeki-og-sidmenningargreiningu-hid-islenska-bokmenntafelag-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/volume-20-no-1-2025\/book-review-editor-review\/johann-pall-arnason-austur-vestur-og-aftur-heim-greinar-um-samfelagsheimspeki-og-sidmenningargreiningu-hid-islenska-bokmenntafelag-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll \u00c1rnason, Austur, vestur og aftur heim: Greinar um samf\u00e9lagsheimspeki og si\u00f0menningargreiningu (Hi\u00f0 \u00edslenska b\u00f3kmenntaf\u00e9lag, 2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/i><\/span> <\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

East, West, and Home Again<\/strong>[1]<\/a><\/p>\n

Sociologist and philosopher J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll \u00c1rnason, professor emeritus at La Trobe University in Melbourne, is one of Iceland\u2019s most important academics and theorists ever in the humanities and social science. \u00c1rnason has left a deep mark on the international academic stage, and most notable in this regard is his re-conceptualization[2]<\/a> of Karl Jaspers\u2019[3]<\/a> theory of the Axial Age (500\u2013300 BCE) and \u00c1rnason\u2019s theory of multiple modernities.[4]<\/a> \u00c1rnason is still active and productive in academia despite turning 85 this year.<\/p>\n

\u00c1rnason\u2019s works are predominantly written in English, German, and Czech; only a few have been published in Icelandic. Thus, it is a cause for celebration that just before last Christmas, the book Austur, vestur og aftur heim<\/em> (English: East, West, and Home Again) was published, containing a cross-section of \u00c1rnason\u2019s research in the fields of sociology, civilizational analysis, and philosophy.[5]<\/a> In addition to the curated collection of articles, \u00c1rnason contributes a memoir chapter briefly documenting his colourful life and career. The book was edited by the late \u00c1g\u00fast \u00de\u00f3r \u00c1rnason, adjunct professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Akureyri, and Geir Sigur\u00f0sson, professor of Chinese studies and cross-cultural philosophy at the University of Iceland. As reported in the foreword, the book was a long time in the making. The initiative for the book came from the firebrand \u00c1g\u00fast \u00de\u00f3r \u00c1rnason, who passed away before his time in 2019, but Geir Sigur\u00f0sson completed the work.<\/p>\n

In this review, I will touch on some of the highlights of this highly engaging and informative book. Still, first, I will briefly overview \u00c1rnason\u2019s academic career, who was born and raised in the fishing village of Dalv\u00edk in Northeast Iceland. \u00c1rnason completed upper secondary school at the Akureyri Junior College in 1958 after enrolling there two years earlier than usual. After completing upper secondary school, \u00c1rnason went to Prague, where he studied philosophy and history at Charles University from 1960 to 1966. He taught at Akureyri Junior College from 1967 to 1968 and studied philosophy and sociology at Frankfurt University from 1968 to 1970. There, he earned a PhD in philosophy in 1970, and his dissertation adviser was the world-renowned social philosopher J\u00fcrgen Habermas. \u00c1rnason was funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute from 1970 to 1972 and taught sociology at Heidelberg University from 1972 to 1975. Moreover, he taught for a summer semester at Bielefeld University in 1975 and simultaneously completed his Habilitation<\/em>.[6]<\/a> From 1975 to 2003, \u00c1rnason held a position in the Faculty of Social Science at La Trobe University in Melbourne. From 2007 to 2014, \u00c1rnason taught in the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague. Since 2006, \u00c1rnason and his wife, Mar\u00eda Jansd\u00f3ttir, have lived in Akureyri in Northeast Iceland, where he has, among other things, taught in the Faculty of Social Science at the University of Akureyri. \u00c1rnason has also been a visiting professor at various universities and research institutions in Germany, France, Japan, Sweden, and Italy. He was given a special research award (German: Forschungspreis<\/em>) from the Alexander von Humboldt Institute in 2008 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Iceland in 2011. Lastly, \u00c1rnason will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Akureyri this summer.<\/p>\n

Over the course of an academic journey spanning 65 years, the cosmopolitan scholar \u00c1rnason has traversed the borders of sociology, philosophy, and history. He has published numerous books and articles that centre on social theory and historical sociology, emphasizing the comparative analysis of culture and social change. Moreover, as mentioned before, \u00c1rnason\u2019s theorization has greatly influenced international academia, evidenced by the edited volume Civilization, Modernity, and Critique: Engaging J\u00f3hann P. \u00c1rnason\u2019s Macro-Social Theory, <\/em>published by Routledge to mark \u00c1rnason\u2019s 80th<\/sup> birthday.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite his deep and wide-ranging academic influence abroad, \u00c1rnason\u2019s name is not as well known in Icelandic academia as it should be. Likely explanations include \u00c1rnason working nearly exclusively outside Iceland (especially in Australia and Central Europe), his longue dur\u00e9e<\/em> and multi-country research emphasis rather than focusing specifically on Iceland, his writing in many languages (seldom in Icelandic), and the fact that his topics, analysis, and texts are often quite challenging.[8]<\/a> Moreover, in recent decades, \u00c1rnason has not featured much in public or academic debates in Iceland. At the same time, few Icelandic social scientists share \u00c1rnason\u2019s research foci on civilizational analysis and multiple modernities.<\/p>\n

East, West, and Home Again <\/em>contains nine articles by \u00c1rnason of varied origins. Five articles have been previously published in other languages and were specially translated into Icelandic for this volume. \u00c1rnason has updated all the older articles, and some include recent epilogues. Moreover, the book contains an exhaustive list of \u00c1rnason\u2019s writings.<\/p>\n

It speaks for itself that the distinguished German social philosopher Axel Honneth writes an introduction to the book, in which he contends, among other things, that \u00c1rnason has few, if any, equals when it comes to contemporary comparative sociologists:<\/p>\n

\u201cViewed on the whole, his books and articles on the Japanese path to modernization, on the outlier that was Russian development, on the significance of the Greek legacy in Europe, on the developmental dynamics of nation-states, and finally on the specific structure of Western modernity, form the cornerstone of a comparative historical sociology whose quality and ambition is matched among contemporary scholars perhaps only by Shmuel Eisenstadt\u201d (p. 11).<\/p>\n

East, West, and Home Again <\/em>reflects this academic ambition, unparalleled precision, and comprehensive knowledge.<\/p>\n

In the book\u2019s first article, \u201cThe Twentieth Century in Retrospect,\u201d \u00c1rnason analyzes several themes from Eric Hobsbawm\u2019s The<\/em> Age of Extremes<\/em> in light of a longer time frame.[9]<\/a> Hobsbawm is undoubtedly one of the most influential historians of the 20th<\/sup> century, and The Age of Extremes<\/em> is a masterpiece relevant to our time. The article has many strands, but \u00c1rnason\u2019s overall conclusions about the short 20th<\/sup> century (1914-1991) or long (1914-2010) can be summed up in the words of German sociologist Norbert Elias: \u201cAll kinds of progress take place, but no overall progress.\u201d[10]<\/a> In terms of negative developments, it suffices to reference the horrors brought upon humanity by WWI and WWII, the current environmental crisis, weapons of mass destruction in the hands and at the whim of misguided leaders, and the intensification of struggles between current and aspiring superpowers that currently grip the world. Considering heightened uncertainty and growing fears of a new war between superpowers now that a quarter of the 21st<\/sup> century has passed, \u00c1rnason sees many similarities with the situation in 1914. Moreover, he concludes that the current course of global geopolitics is still best understood in light of the chain reactions set in motion by WWI.<\/p>\n

The second article, \u201cImages of Society and Visions of Democracy,\u201d was translated unchanged from its original form, but with a new epilogue, to shed light on \u00c1rnason\u2019s thoughts on the state of democracy following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the Soviet Union in 1991, which marked the end of the Cold War. In particular, \u00c1rnason discusses the difficulty of fitting definitions of democracy with core sociological concepts and the parochialism inherent to the dominant conception of society. The article\u2019s topic is very timely considering Russia\u2019s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and at a time when extremist political movements spearheaded by power-hungry tycoons encroach on democracy in various countries, most notably in the supposed \u201cbeacon of democracy\u201d the United States. Related to this, \u00c1rnason claims that the concept of \u201cpopulism\u201d is insufficient to explain the rise of Donald Trump. Instead, the Trump phenomenon, he argues, is more akin to \u201creligious awakenings of the kind previously known in the United States and have not been easily interpretable on European terms.\u201d[11]<\/a><\/p>\n

In the third article, \u201cCulture and Imaginary Significations,\u201d \u00c1rnason examines another fundamental concept: culture. More specifically, he explores how Greek-French philosopher Cornelius Castoriadis\u2019 concept of \u201cimaginary significations\u201d sheds new light on the concept of culture. In an epilogue, \u00c1rnason briefly overviews Castoriadis\u2019 life and academic career, as he is one of the thinkers who has had the most profound influence on \u00c1rnason as a scholar. Like \u00c1rnason, Castoriadis was primarily influenced by Marxist analysis early in his career but deepened and broadened his theoretical perspective as time passed. What influenced \u00c1rnason the most in this respect were the phenomenological writings of Czech philosophers Karel Kos\u00edk and Jan Pato\u010dka and the works of classical sociologists such as \u00c9mile Durkheim and, in particular, Max Weber\u2019s comparative sociology.<\/p>\n

The fourth article, \u201cThe Other of Reason and the Reason of the Other,\u201d centers on the concept of reason and its radical implementation characterizing modernity. Arguably, this is the book\u2019s most challenging reading, which can mainly be explained by the obscure nature of the subject matter but partly because the article was translated from French. \u00c1rnason thinks along with many scholars in said article and, understandably, uses as a springboard the philosophical writings of Immanuel Kant and Georg Hegel, whose intellectual projects engaged the limits of human reason and metaphysics. Moreover, Hegel was the first philosopher to take modernity as his subject and focused explicitly on reason. As a side note, there is reason to draw readers\u2019 attention to newly published Icelandic translations of Kant\u2019s[12]<\/a> and Hegel\u2019s works.[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

In the fifth article, \u201cThe Soviet Model as a Mode of Globalization,\u201d \u00c1rnason continues to take on challenging tasks and examines the Soviet model as failed globalization. He critiques the determinism inherent to narrow and economic definitions of globalization. In contrast, he draws on a more multifaceted concept to analyze, on one hand, the interaction of global and local factors related to the fall of communism and, on the other hand, the significance of the Soviet Union, as a form of globalization, for the conceptualization of globalization in general. \u00c1rnason concludes: \u201cThe Soviet model was a strategy of modernization, grounded in a synthesis of imperial and revolutionary traditions, but it was also a global phenomenon: its formation, expansion and decomposition cannot be explained without reference to international connections, and its history was a crucial part of the twentieth-century phase of the globalizing process\u201d (p. 167).<\/p>\n

The sixth article, \u201cThe Revolutions\u2019 Revolution,\u201d engages with the Russian Revolution as both a turning point and a long-term process that brings the significance of the change and the accompanying conflict to a conclusion. \u00c1rnason defines a revolution, in short, as a rapid and intertwined change in the political and social power structure. As such, a revolution involves a structural change in state power, where legitimacy, institutions, and the composition of the ruling elite change. Concurrently, the balance of power between social groups changes. No one doubts that the February Revolution and the October Revolution of 1917 were turning points. However, there is disagreement on how to demarcate the long-term process. \u00c1rnason himself identifies the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 as the endpoint. Moreover, considering what has transpired since 1991, he argues it is more accurate to talk about three paths out of the Soviet predicament rather than its total collapse. \u00c1rnason identifies these paths with Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin and the institutional changes they knowingly and unknowingly implemented.<\/p>\n

\u00c1rnason\u2019s comparative sociology and historical perspective are on full display in the book\u2019s seventh and eighth articles, which deal, on one hand, with state formation in Japan and the West and, on the other hand, with the modernization of Japan. \u00c1rnason builds on Norbert Elias\u2019 work and elaborates on ways to integrate research on civilization processes and comparative analysis with special reference to Japan. Japan is an exciting comparative case for Western countries, considering that it is the only country outside Europe where fully fledged feudalism emerged and because \u201cmodern Japan is indisputably the most outstanding case of capitalism in a non-Western setting, and it seems plausible to assume that the first fact has something to do with the second\u201d (p. 204). Despite being the world\u2019s fourth largest economy, Japan has been somewhat overshadowed by China\u2019s economic and geopolitical resurgence in recent decades, which, nonetheless, only represents a return to a traditional pattern as China was the world\u2019s largest economy for almost two millennia until Britain overtook it in the 19th<\/sup> century.[14]<\/a> To quote \u00c1rnason: \u201cEverything now suggests that the restoration of China as a superpower, according to adapted Bolshevik specifications, marks a greater world-historical turning point than the Soviet version of the Russian one.\u201d[15]<\/a><\/p>\n

The book\u2019s pi\u00e8ce de resistance<\/em> is undoubtedly the ninth article, \u201cChristianity in the North: Historical Connections and the Reformation,\u201d in which \u00c1rnason applies civilizational analysis to Iceland\u2019s Commonwealth period, which lasted from the establishment of Al\u00feingi<\/em> in 930 and until Icelanders pledged fealty to the King of Norway in 1262. The article in question is brand new, long (108 pages), and, in my opinion, could have stood alone as an independent book. It is a fantastic read where \u00c1rnason thinks along with authors such as Halld\u00f3r Laxness, Arnold Joseph Toynbee, Gunnar Karlsson, and Sigur\u00f0ur Nordal. At the outset, \u00c1rnason briefly explains civilizations analysis, and the book\u2019s earlier chapters underpin the following analysis.<\/p>\n

The memoir chapter at the end is enjoyable to read but too short. I would have preferred a longer and more detailed elaboration on the factors shaping \u00c1rnason\u2019s intellectual trajectory. Nonetheless, I found \u00c1rnason\u2019s account of his student years in what was then Czechoslovakia and his strong ties to the Czech Republic ever since to be most informative. Tellingly, \u00c1rnason considers himself \u201cof two nations,\u201d as he puts it. I also enjoyed \u00c1rnason\u2019s speculations about the United Socialist Party, which ran its course in Iceland from 1938 to 1968. This discussion reflects themes addressed in recent books by Kjartan \u00d3lafsson[16]<\/a> and Skafti Ingimarsson[17]<\/a> on communist and socialist movements in Iceland.<\/p>\n

Overall, I believe that with East, West, and Home Again<\/em>, the editors and the author have certainly succeeded in their mission to give Icelandic readers a good insight into \u00c1rnason\u2019s oeuvre<\/em> and his erudite contributions to the academic community. They deserve much praise. \u00c1rnason\u2019s comprehensive and profound knowledge comes through clearly in the book, and it helps that explanations and translations of key concepts are thorough and well thought out. It is safe to say that no stone has been left unturned in this volume, as \u00c1rnason is particularly sensitive to the nuances of theoretical concepts, theories, and languages. Although \u00c1rnason\u2019s text is articulate and clear, one must have one\u2019s thinking cap on while reading it. However, taking time and reflecting on the text is more than worth it. I encourage Icelandic humanities and social science scholars to purchase this book. The book deserves a wide readership and will hopefully contribute to the recognition that \u00c1rnason deserves in Iceland.<\/p>\n

Endnotes<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> This is a slightly revised translation of a review in Icelandic published in V\u00edsbending<\/em> 43:8 (February 28, 2025): 1-3.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> \u00c1rnason, J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll. 2013. \u201cRehistoricizing the Axial Age.\u201d In Bellah, R. and Joas, H. (eds.) The Axial Age and its Consequences. <\/em>Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp. 366\u2013407.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Jaspers, Karl. 1953. The Origin and Goal of History.<\/em> New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> \u00c1rnason, J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll. 2003. Civilizations in Dispute: Historical Questions and Theoretical Traditions.<\/em> Leiden: Brill.<\/p>\n

\u00c1rnason, J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll. 2020. The Labyrinth of Modernity: Horizons, Pathways and Mutations<\/em>. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> \u00c1rnason, J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll. 2024. Austur, vestur og aftur heim: Greinar um samf\u00e9lagsheimspeki og si\u00f0menningargreiningu. <\/em>\u00c1rnason, \u00c1g\u00fast, \u00de. and Sigur\u00f0sson, G. (eds.). Reykjav\u00edk: Hi\u00f0 \u00edslenska b\u00f3kmenntaf\u00e9lag.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> \u00c1rnason, J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll. 1976. Zwischen Natur und Gesellschaft – Studien zu einer kritischen Theorie des Subjekts <\/em>[Between Nature and Society – Studies in the critical theory of the subject]. K\u00f6ln: Europ\u00e4ische Verlagsanstalt.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Dunaj, \u013dubom\u00edr, Jeremy Smith, and Kurt Mertel (eds.). 2023. Civilization, Modernity, and Critique: Engaging J\u00f3hann P. \u00c1rnason\u2019s Macro-Social Theory. <\/em>Abingdon\/London: Routledge.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Oddsson, Gu\u00f0mundur. 2024. Book review of Civilization, Modernity, and Critique: Engaging J\u00f3hann P. \u00c1rnason\u2019s Macro-Social Theory<\/em>, by \u013dubom\u00edr Dunaj, Jeremy Smith and Kurt Mertel (eds.). Acta Sociologica <\/em>67(4), 565-567.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Hobsbawm, Eric. [1994] 1999. \u00d6ld \u00f6fganna: Saga heimsins 1914\u20131991<\/em>, transl. \u00d3skarsson, \u00c1. Reykjav\u00edk: M\u00e1l og menning.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> \u00c1rnason. 2024, p. 68 [Oddsson\u2019s translation].<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> \u00c1rnason. 2024, p. 65 [Oddsson\u2019s translation].<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Kant, Immanuel. 2024. Fyrir eil\u00edfum fri\u00f0i, <\/em>transl. Arnarsson, E., L\u00e6rd\u00f3msrit B\u00f3kmenntaf\u00e9lagsins, Reykjav\u00edk: Hi\u00f0 \u00edslenska b\u00f3kmenntaf\u00e9lag.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Hegel, Georg. 2023. Skynsemin \u00ed s\u00f6gunni,<\/em> transl. Bollason, A. B. and \u00c1smundsson, \u00de., L\u00e6rd\u00f3msrit B\u00f3kmenntaf\u00e9lagsins. Reykjav\u00edk: Hi\u00f0 \u00edslenska b\u00f3kmenntaf\u00e9lag.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> Maddison, Angus. 2007. Contours of the World Economy, 1-2030 AD: Essays in Macro-economic History. <\/em>Oxford: Oxford University Press.<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> \u00c1rnason. 2024, p. 45 [Oddsson\u2019s translation].<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> \u00d3lafsson, Kjartan. 2020. Draumar og veruleiki: stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1l \u00ed endurs\u00fdn. Um Komm\u00fanistaflokkinn og S\u00f3s\u00edalistaflokkinn. <\/em>Reykjav\u00edk: M\u00e1l og menning.<\/p>\n

[17]<\/a> Ingimarsson, Skafti. 2024. N\u00fa blakta rau\u00f0ir f\u00e1nar. Saga komm\u00fanista- og s\u00f3s\u00edalistahreyfingarinnar \u00e1 \u00cdslandi 1918\u20131968. <\/em>Reykjav\u00edk: S\u00f6guf\u00e9lag.<\/p>\n

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East, West, and Home Again[1] Sociologist and philosopher J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll \u00c1rnason, professor emeritus at La Trobe University in Melbourne, is one of Iceland\u2019s most important academics and theorists ever in the humanities and social science. \u00c1rnason has left a deep mark on the international academic stage, and most notable in this regard is his re-conceptualization[2] … Continue reading J\u00f3hann P\u00e1ll \u00c1rnason, Austur, vestur og aftur heim: Greinar um samf\u00e9lagsheimspeki og si\u00f0menningargreiningu (Hi\u00f0 \u00edslenska b\u00f3kmenntaf\u00e9lag, 2024)<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":604,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2590],"tags":[2661,2664,2662,2663],"coauthors":[2051],"class_list":["post-33894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review-editor-review","tag-civilizational-theory","tag-comparative-social-theory","tag-historical-sociology","tag-multiple-modernities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/604"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33894"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33906,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33894\/revisions\/33906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33894"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=33894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}