Abstract
This entry outlines the key works of influential Dutch sociologist Johan (Joop) Goudsblom:
Nihilism and Culture
,
Sociology in the Balance
,
Fire and Civilization
, and the essay “Public Health and the Civilizing Process.” The distinctiveness of his approach to sociology, strongly influenced by Norbert Elias and his conception of the process of civilization, is explained, emphasizing his style of theory and research as a productive alternative to mainstream sociological thought.