Introduction: Sociology and its discontents -- Working with Elias -- Some basic concepts of figurational sociology -- Elias's 'central theory' -- The development of knowledge and the sciences as social processes -- Problems of method and values in the development of sociological knowledge -- Elias and 'The habits of good sociology' -- Conclusion: A relational 'turn'? The future prospects of figurational sociology.

This book explores the interplay between the making of Elias as a sociologist and the development of his core ideas relating to figurations, interdependence, and civilising processes. Focusing on the relevance of Elias's work for current debates within sociology, the authors centrally consider his contributions to the sociology of knowledge and methodology. Dunning and Hughes locate the work of Elias within a discussion of the crisis of sociology as a subject, and compare his figurational approach with the approaches of three major figures in modern sociology: Anthony Giddens, Michel Foucault and Pierre Bourdieu. This highly readable and engaging book will be essential reading for students and scholars of sociological theory and methods.
Review: Dunning and Hughes have certainly done an important service in introducing those readers primarily familiar with Elias's classic essays to the breadth of Elias's work, drawing out the central social theory embedded within such prolific writing ... Norbert Elias and Modern Sociology makes a strong and convincing case that Elias's larger historical-theoretical oeuvre and underlying sociological model deserves more sustained attention by both card-carrying sociologists and other scholars of the "human sciences". -- Paul A. Silverstein, Reed College H-France Review.