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Various authors (Dromel, Lorenz, Petersen, Wechssler, Pinder, Drerup, Mannheim, and so on) have addressed the theme of the generations, but it is Ortega y Gasset who must be recognized for having established in his theory of generations the key to understanding the intrinsic movement of the historical process. (31)
In: Historiological Discussions, Silo,
Chapter 3: History and Temporality, 3.2 Horizon and Temporal Landscape
Karl Mannheim (1893 - 1947)
Karl Mannheim (1893 - 1947)
Sociologist and philosopher.
Biographical information
Biographical information
1893 Born on 27 March in Budapest, Hungary
1911–18 Studied philosophy, education and literature in Budapest
1917 Co-founder of the Free School of Spiritual Science, which emerged from the ‘Sunday Circle’
1918 Doctorate: ‘The Structure of Epistemology’
1919–20 During the short-lived Republic of Councils, professor of cultural philosophy at the University of Budapest; after the fall of the Republic of Councils, emigration to Germany
1921–30 Heidelberg
1926 Habilitation with a work on ‘Altkonservatismus’ (Old Conservatism) under Alfred Weber; appointed as a private lecturer in sociology
1930–33 Full professor of sociology and economics at the University of Frankfurt
1933 Dismissed after the Nazi ‘takeover’; emigration to London
from 1933 Employed at the London School of Economics and Political Science
1940 British citizenship
1941–47 Lecturer at the Institute of Education,
from 1945 Professor of Education and Chairman
1947 Died in London, Great Britain.
Topics
Sociology of knowledge: Mannheim is known for developing the sociology of knowledge, which studies how knowledge and ideologies are influenced and shaped by social contexts. In his major work ‘Ideology and Utopia’, he analysed how social positions and interests shape the perception and interpretation of reality.
Ideology and Utopia: In this work, Mannheim examined the contrast between ideologies, which justify existing social conditions, and utopias, which aim to change society. He analysed how these ways of thinking are used by different social groups to further their interests.
Generational research: Mannheim was deeply interested in the role of generations in history and developed a theory that describes how historical events and social change shape the identity and consciousness of different generations. His essay ‘The Problem of Generations’ is a seminal text in this field.
Political Sociology: Mannheim analysed the interactions between knowledge, power and political action. He examined how political ideologies and beliefs arise in social contexts and how they influence societal developments.
Planning and Democracy: Later, Mannheim explored the possibilities and challenges of societal planning. He argued that democratic planning is necessary to manage social change and promote social justice.
Major works
‘Ideology and Utopia’ (1929): This is considered Mannheim's most internationally well-known work, written during his time as an academic teacher in Heidelberg and Frankfurt. In this book, Mannheim examined various modern utopias and put forward theses about the possible disappearance of utopia.
‘The Problem of Generations’ (1928): This work is mentioned as one of his important works, which deals with the concept of generations.
Although not explicitly mentioned as a major work, Mannheim's contributions to the sociology of knowledge are of great importance. He is considered one of the founders of this subfield of sociology
His work on ‘free-floating intelligence’, even though this term originally came from his teacher Alfred Weber.
Influence
With his work ‘Ideology and Utopia’ (1929), Mannheim laid the foundation for the modern sociology of knowledge and significantly shaped the understanding of ideologies and utopian thinking in society.
His concept of the ‘total ideological concept’ and ‘dynamic relationism’ led to a critical examination of the perspective of all thought and had a lasting influence on the epistemological debate in the social sciences.
Mannheim's ideas on ‘planned democracy’ and ‘planning for freedom’ triggered intensive discussions on the design of democratic societies and influenced both his supporters and critics in political theory.
Karl Mannheim's 1928 essay ‘The Problem of Generations’ had a profound and lasting influence on generational research in sociology. His concept of generations as social groupings shaped by shared historical experiences laid the foundation for many subsequent studies and theories on generational relations and generational change in society.
Why is he mentioned by Silo in ‘Historiological Discussions’?
Silo mentions him along with a number of authors and scholars who recognised the importance of generational dynamics in various areas of human life (literature, art, history) at around the same time (late 19th/early 20th century). At the same time, however, Silo also emphasises that for him the most relevant approach to the role of generations came from José Ortega y Gasset.
Mannheim saw the "constant emergence of new cultural carriers" as a key potential explanation for accelerated social upheaval and thus linked generational and social change.
He developed a differentiated model that distinguishes between generational stratification, generational connection and generational units, whereby the generational connection arises from a common stratification of consciousness and experience.
Mannheim emphasised that people of a similar age can become agents of historical change due to their similar perspective on events and their shared cultural context.
His approach makes it possible to better explain historical change by tracing it back to the generational affiliation of the actors and identifying a measurable rhythm of social change.
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