Within the growing attention to the diverse forms and trajectories of modern societies, the Nordic countries are now widely seen as a distinctive and instructive case. While discussions have centred on the 'Nordic model' of the welfare state and its record of adaptation to the changing global environment of the late twentieth century, this volume's focus goes beyond these themes. The guiding principle here is that a long-term historical-sociological perspective is needed to make sense of the Nordic paths to modernity; of their significant but not complete convergence in patterns, which for some time were perceived as aspects of a model to be emulated in other settings; and of the specific features that still set the five countries in question (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) apart from one another. The contributors explore transformative processes, above all the change from an absolutistmilitary state to a democratic one with its welfarist phase, as well as the crucial experiences that will have significant implications on future developments.

."..the chapters are lucidly composed, and consequently pleasant to read...The introduction by the editors is very fine indeed...I find something compellingly interesting everywhere in the text. The combination of theory, conception and fact is quite gracefully handled. No heavy-footed jargon here." Sheldon Rothblatt, University of California, Berkeley

Within the growing attention to the diverse forms and trajectories of modern societies, the Nordic countries are now widely seen as a distinctive and instructive case. While discussions have centred on the 'Nordic model' of the welfare state and its record of adaptation to the changing global environment of the late twentieth century, this volume's focus goes beyond these themes. The guiding principle here is that a long-term historical-sociological perspective is needed to make sense of the Nordic paths to modernity; of their significant but not complete convergence in patterns, which for some time were perceived as aspects of a model to be emulated in other settings; and of the specific features that still set the five countries in question (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) apart from one another. The contributors explore transformative processes, above all the change from an absolutist military state to a democratic one with its welfarist phase, as well as the crucial experiences that will have significant implications on future developments.

Johann Pall Arnason is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at La Trobe University, Melbourne, and Visiting Professor at Charles University, Prague. His research interests focus on comparative historical sociology, with particular emphasis on the comparative sociology of civilizations. Recent publications include: "Civilizations in Dispute: Historical Questions and Theoretical Traditions" (Brill 2003); "Axial Civilizations and World History" (co-editor, Brill 2005); and "The Roman Empire in Context: Historical and Comparative Perspectives" (co-editor, Blackwell 2010).

Bjorn Wittrock is Principal of the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala, and University Professor at Uppsala University. He has published extensively, currently eighteen books, in the fields of intellectual history, historical social science, social theory and civilizational analysis. Recent publications include: "Frontiers of Sociology" (co-editor, Brill 2009) and "Eurasian Transformations, Tenth to Thirteenth Centuries: Crystallizations, Divergences, Renaissances" (co-editor, Brill 2004).

The articles included in this "Yearbook of the Sociology of Islam" focus on two perspectives. Some link the comparative analysis of Islam to ongoing debates on the Axial Age and its role in the formation of major civilizations, while others are more concerned with historical constellations and sources involved in the formation of Islam as a religion and a civilization.

More than any other particular line of inquiry, new historical and sociological approaches to the Axial Age have revived the idea of comparative civilizational analysis and channeled it into more specific projects. A closer look at the very problematic place of Islam in this context will help to clarify questions about the Axial version of civilizational theory as well as issues in Islamic studies and sociological approaches to modern Islam. Contributors include Said Arjomand, Shmuel N. Eisenstadt, Josef van Ess and Raif G. Khoury.

Each of the editors are sociologists who have widely published on related issues.