Sociology of Elites: Classical and Contemporary Approaches. European Institute Publishing House, Iași, 2023. Ciprian Iftimoaei

The volume Sociologia elitelor. Abordări clasice și contemporane (The Sociology of Elites. Classical and Contemporary Approaches) fits into a relatively recent series of studies within the Romanian social sciences dedicated to examining elites in the context of transition, democratic consolidation, and good governance. The author brings together both classical and contemporary approaches to the study of elites, organizing them into four major schools of sociopolitical thought: the classical sociology of elites, the radical (critical) sociology of elites, elite pluralism, and democratic elitism. Ciprian Iftimoaei’s work makes an important contribution not only by systematizing elitist theories but also by integrating them into a coherent sociological framework applied to the Romanian post-communist context. The author succeeds in creating a dialogue between Western paradigms of elite studies and the Romanian sociological tradition, building a bridge between theoretical reflection and empirical analysis of contemporary political elites. Moreover, his approach is distinguished by the ability to operationalize key concepts such as power, domination, circulation, and elite consensus, thus providing a sociological model that can also be applied to other areas of political analysis. Conceptual rigor, balance between description and interpretation, and the combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods make this volume a methodological benchmark for elite research in Romania.