Media

In this, his first, film, recorded in 1975, Norbert Elias speaks about his work with a general audience in mind. As the train speeds on, Elias explains his views on the passing of time. In the historical British Library, he shows the way he does research. Leafing through antique prints, he points out the shifts in the balance between the sexes in the course of the European civilising process. As he comes upon a street football game, he characterizes the sport as forever hovering between the extremes of boredom and violence. And during a walk in the park, Elias muses about his outsider position as a German Jew in Britain. The film ends with Elias expressing his vision of life in a single sentence that is bound to be remembered.

The documentary was made by Abram de Swaan and Paul van den Bos for Dutch Public Television in 1975.

Alles mogen weten / Allowed to know everything is a documentary about the scholarly life and work of Abram de Swaan. In a lively conversation with the writer Karin Amatmoekrim, which is subtitled in English, De Swaan looks back on his upbringing and studies, his encounter with Norbert Elias and Johan Goudsblom, and comments on his major works: his PhD on coalition theory and his widely known studies on the welfare state, the global language system, genocidal regimes and the world-wide backlash against women’s liberation.

The documentary was made by Paul van den Bos, Wouter Gomperts, Johan Heilbron and Geert de Vries in 2025. Launched as a private initiative, it received support from family and friends, students and colleagues, as well as from various public institutions.