Representation, in Weber’s sense, is a situation where the actions of specific members of an organisation are imputed to the rest and treated by them as 'legitimate' and binding, and within organised rule this can take several distinct typical forms.

By Max Weber, from Economy and Society

Key Arguments

  • Weber explicitly anchors his usage in his earlier methodological definition, tying representation to imputation and legitimacy of action for those represented.
  • He stresses that representation is not merely factual substitution but requires that the represented treat the representative’s action as having 'binding validity' for them.
  • He immediately introduces a typology ('several typical forms'), indicating that representation is not a single institution but a family of structurally different arrangements within organised rule.

Source Quotes

Representation §21. By “representation,” will be primarily understood the situation discussed in Chapter 1, §11: that the action of specific members of an organisation (representatives) is imputed to the remainder, or viewed by the latter as an action that is for them “legitimate,” which should be treated as having binding validity for them, and is actually so treated. Within organised rule, however, representation can assume several typical forms: 1.
By “representation,” will be primarily understood the situation discussed in Chapter 1, §11: that the action of specific members of an organisation (representatives) is imputed to the remainder, or viewed by the latter as an action that is for them “legitimate,” which should be treated as having binding validity for them, and is actually so treated. Within organised rule, however, representation can assume several typical forms: 1. Appropriated representation.

Key Concepts

  • By “representation,” will be primarily understood the situation discussed in Chapter 1, §11: that the action of specific members of an organisation (representatives) is imputed to the remainder, or viewed by the latter as an action that is for them “legitimate,” which should be treated as having binding validity for them, and is actually so treated.
  • Within organised rule, however, representation can assume several typical forms:

Context

Opening of §21, where Weber recalls his earlier conceptual definition of representation and prepares to differentiate its main structural types.