A systematic and critical assessment of the work of Michael Mann, one of the most influential sociologists of recent decades.

Introduction: the IEMP model and its critics Ralph Schroeder; Part I. Theory, Practice, Method: 2. Mann's transformation of the classic sociological traditions Randall Collins; 3. Political questions John A. Hall; 4. Mann's microfoundations: addressing neo-Weberian dilemmas Edgar Kiser; 5. Grand yet grounded: ontology, theory and method in Mann's historical sociology Joseph Bryant; Part II. Types of Power: 6. Mann's theory of ideological power: sources, applications and elaborations Philip Gorski; 7. Political power un-manned: a defence of the holy trinity from Mann's military attack Gianfranco Poggi; 8. Mann, the state and war John Hobson; 9. Infrastructural power, economic transformation and globalization Linda Weiss; Part III. European Exceptionalism?: 10. From theory to history: 'the European dynamic' or 'from Feudalism to capitalism'? Robert Brenner; 11. The rise of the west Stephen Epstein; 12. A historical, not comparative method: breakthroughs and limitations in the theory and methodology of Michael Mann's analysis of power Jack Goldstone; Part IV. Promise and Perils of Modernity: 13. The 'British' sources of social power: reflections on history, sociology, and intellectual biography Frank Trentmann; 14. Networks and ideologies: the fusion of 'is' and 'ought' as a means to social power Jack Snyder; 15. Mann's dark side: linking democracy and genocide David Laitin; Part V. Response: 16. The sources of power revisited: a response to criticism Michael Mann.