Gallery

Oliver Carsten is the son of Francis Carsten (1911-1998), a famous historian and long-time friend of Norbert Elias. Oliver knew him since his early childhood in the 1950s, when Elias was a regular visitor at his father’s house. Only later, when he grew up, Carsten learned about the sociological work of Elias. What bewildered him especially was his expertise in sports. Now he found out that the old family friend was a leading researcher and theorist of sports and leisure. The last time Oliver saw Elias was when he was invited to his 80th birthday party in 1977.
The interview gives a glimpse to the private life of Norbert Elias and how contemporaries perceived him.

Andrew Linklater (*1949) is a professor in International Politics. After receiving his Bachelor in Oxford, his Master at Aberdeen and a PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science, he began a scientific career that took him around the globe. Finally, back in the UK, he received professorships in Keele (1993-1999) and Aberystwyth (ever since). In 2000, he was featured as one of the fifty thinkers in Martin Griffith's Fifty Key Thinkers in International Relations. Only late in his academic career, he discovered Norbert Elias.
In the interview, he explains why Elias’s theory is valuable and a great stimulus for the sociology of International Relations, and how the approach can be made fruitful for this field of research.

Eric Dunning on the Sociology of sport.
This is a recording of the famous sports sociologist Eric Dunning from the 1990s. It was recorded by Stephen Mennell, who helped Eric out when Eric was not able to leave his house because of a broken leg. So they recorded his lectures and Stephen brought the VHS tapes to the students. This is an excerpt from central parts of a much longer video.
Eric Dunning was a master student and later co-author and close friend of Norbert Elias. They collaborated on several studies on the sociology of sport, like 'Quest for excitement' (Blackwell, 1986). Eric Dunning reflected on his work with Norbert Elias for more than three decades in his 2012 book 'Norbert Elias and Modern Sociology' . This book was co-authored by our Foundation board member Jason Hughes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Dunning

Joop Goudsblom (*1932) is a retired professor of sociology. He began his academic career in 1966 in Princeton, since 1968 he is a professor in Amsterdam.
He knew personally Norbert Elias since 1956. He stayed in touch with him and later invited Elias to be a visiting professor in Amsterdam. Norbert Elias became a regular visitor at the town at the Amstel. In 1983 he decided to permanently move over. Joop Goudsblom became the landlord of Elias and they lived under one roof until the death of Elias.
Goudsblom became the first chairman of the Norbert Elias Foundation. He has served in this office for over three decades and enabled countless works and conferences on Elias. Among his personal contributions are the history of figurational sociology in the Netherlands and of course his book on the civilization of fire.

Stephen Mennell (*1944) is a British sociologist, who had taught in England, the USA, Australia and Ireland. He was long time involved in editing Norbert Elias's books in English. Since the death of Norbert Elias he has worked in many fields of the Norbert Elias Foundation: Being a board member for two decades, editor of the Figuration Newsletter and as the General Editor of the English Collected Works.
In the interview we speak about his personal commitment to figurational sociology, the contribution of figurational sociology to the exploration of human societies and his book on America.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Mennell

Cas Wouters (*1943) is a Dutch sociologist, who was strongly influenced by Norbert Elias. He knew him personally since the 1960s. Cas speaks in the interview about the biographical contact and his personal work in the field of figurational sociology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cas_Wouters