Sociology Transformed – serie

American Sociology has changed radically since 1945. This volume traces these changes to the present, with special emphasis on the feminization of sociology and the decline of the science ideal as well as the challenges sociology faces in the new environment for universities.

Battered and bruised by injuries (often self-inflicted) sustained in the first half of the twentieth century since 1950 sociology in Australia has fought its way back into the academic mainstream. This has not been easy; its fortunes seem forever mixed – good in some places and dismal in others. But it has proved itself resilient, it is a survivor.

This book provides the first English-language account of the history of Danish sociology, examining it from the late 19th century to the present day. Focusing on the discipline's struggle for recognition in Denmark, it is a case study of how sociological knowledge has entered into ever-changing coalitions with welfare state bureaucracies.

Sociology in Austria has been frequently affected by political developments in the country. This first history of sociology in Austria examines the impact of the break-up of the Habsburg Empire and of two consecutive dictatorships, which destroyed academic freedom by means of forced migration and imprisonment. Even after 1945 the re-established Second Republic did not dismiss professors promoted during the Nazi period, and failed to invite exiled academics to return home. The author argues that the result has been a continuation of favouritism and conformism, with compliance to political regimes sanctioned at the expense of meritocracy and that in the light of this chequered past we should celebrate instances of de-institutionalization.

This book offers the first comprehensive overview in English of the history of sociology in what is today the Czech Republic. Divided into six chapters, it traces the institutional development of the discipline from the late 19th century until the present, with an emphasis on the periods most favorable for sociology’s institutionalization: the interwar years, the 1960s and the post-1989 era. The narrative places the institutions, persons and ideas that have been central to the discipline into the broader social and political context. Marek Skovajsa and Jan Balon show that sociology in the Czech Republic has been wedded to the dominant political projects of each successive historical period: nation- and state-building until after WWII, the communist experiment in 1948-1989, liberal democratic reconstruction after 1989, and internationalization after 2000. This work will appeal to social scientists and to a general readership interested in Czech culture and society.

This book provides a short introduction to the emergence and development of sociology in Ireland until the present day. The institutionalization of the discipline came relatively late as it remained under the control of the Catholic Church. However, since the 1970s sociology has witnessed periods of considerable growth and professionalization.

Tracing the evolution of French sociology from the early twentieth century to the present day, this insightful book brings to the fore the renowned origins but relatively slow development of the discipline in France. Divided into four chronological sections it focuses on the social changes and institutional transformations that have impacted on the history of sociology in France as it relates to both higher education and research. In doing so, it draws attention to three major features of French sociology: the imbalance between theory and method caused by its philosophical roots, the difficulty of locating it in relation to other disciplines, and the close links between sociology and political thought and action.

This book offers a brief but comprehensive overview of the history of sociology in Sweden from the prewar period to the present day. It focuses in particular on scientific boundaries, gender and the relationship between sociology and the Swedish welfare state.

Sociology in Portugal provides the first English-language account of the history of sociology in Portugal from 1945 to the present day. Banned by the fascist regime until 1974, the institutionalization of sociology as an academic discipline came relatively late. Understanding academic disciplines as institutionalized struggles over meaning, Filipe Carreira da Silva gives a genealogy of sociology in Portugal from its origins in the political-administrative interstices of a dictatorship, through the 'cyclopean moment' of the political revolution of April 1974, which brought about its swift institutionalization and subsequent consolidation in the new democratic regime, to the challenges posed by internationalization since the 1990s. Attempts to define Portugal itself, he demonstrates, have been at the heart of these struggles. Analyzing agents, institutions, contexts, instruments and ideas, Carreira da Silva shows in fascinating detail how the sociological understanding of Portugal evolved from that of a developing society in the 1960s, to that of a modernizing European social formation in the 1980s, to the post-colonial or post-imperial Portugal of today.

This book provides a historical-sociological analysis of the history of sociology in Belgium from the late-nineteenth until the early-twenty-first century. It sheds new light on the social structures that shaped and shape the orientations and work of sociologists in Belgium. The impact of three structural factors is discussed in more detail: religion, language and publication imperatives. Starting from analyses of these structural factors, this book presents a detailed analysis of the genesis and institutionalization of different sociologies in Belgium. It sheds light on the kinds of sociological knowledge that are or are not valued in Belgium. This book constitutes an important contribution to the sociological history of sociology and the development of a reflective historical sociology, and will appeal to students and scholars of social theory, as well as readers interested in the history of Contemporary Belgium.

This ground-breaking book provides a compelling account of the social sciences in post-war Central and Eastern Europe. The first English-language monograph to analyse the history of sociology in Poland up to the present day, it maps transformations in the discipline against political and social change. Related in an accessible and engaging manner, it offers a comprehensive examination of sociology as a part of Polish society and culture after 1945. It can also be used as an introduction to the subject and a guide to further reading. Part of the influential Sociology Transformed series, Sociology in Poland will interest social and political scientists, historians and policymakers.

This book examines the institutional development of Chinese sociology from the 1890s to the present. It plots the discipline’s twisting path in the Chinese context, from early Western influences; through the institutionalization of the discipline in the 1930s-40s; its problematic relationship with socialism and interruptions under Marxist orthodoxy and the Cultural Revolution; its revival during the 1980s-90s; to the twin trends of globalization and indigenization in current Chinese sociological scholarship. Chen argues that in spite of the state-building agenda and persistent efforts to indigenize the discipline, the Western model remains pervasively influential, due in large part to the influence of American missionaries, foundations and scholars in the formation and transformation of the Chinese sociological tradition. The history of Chinese sociology is shown to be a contingent process in which globally circulated knowledge, above all the American sociological tradition, has been adapted to the changing contexts of China. This engaging work contributes an important country study to the history of sociology and will appeal to scholars of Chinese history and disciplinary historiography, in addition to social scientists.

This book provides a comprehensive profile of the development of sociology in Italy from the post-war period to the present day. The first English-language account of the history of Italian sociology, it focuses on the process of institutionalization of the discipline within the Italian university system and its changing relationships with extra-academic actors and institutions: political parties, unions, the Catholic Church, political and social movements, as well as local and national governments. Arranged chronologically across eight chapters, it presents all major steps in the development of the discipline in a theoretically-informed but accessible way. The authors explore the pioneering phase of the 1950s to the establishment of the first academic chairs in the 1960s, from the student revolts of 1968 to the creation of the first sociological association in the 1980s and up to the present day. It will appeal to social science and history scholars and students, as well as readers interested in the history of Contemporary Italy.

This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of the various sociologies of New Zealand from the late 19th century to the present day. Opening with previously undocumented insights into the history of proto-sociology in New Zealand, the book then explores the parallel stories of the discipline both as a mainstream subject in Sociology departments and as a more diffuse ‘sociology’ within other university units .The rise and fall of departments, specialties and research networks is plotted and the ways in which external and internal factors have shaped these is explained. Different generations of sociologists, including many immigrants, are each shown to have left their unique mark on New Zealand sociology. The author demonstrates that the rising interest in topics specific to New Zealand has been accompanied by increasing capacities to contribute to world sociology. This book will have inter-disciplinary appeal across the social sciences and provides a valuable study of the development of sociology in a semi-peripheral country.

This book provides an overview of the institutional and intellectual development of sociology in Brazil from the early 1900s to the present day; through military coups, dictatorships and democracies. It charts the profound impact of sociology on Brazilian public life and how, in turn, upheavals in the history of the country and its universities affected its scientific agenda. This engaging account highlights the extent of the discipline’s colonial inheritance, its early institutionalization in São Paulo, and its congruent rise and fall during repeated regime changes. The authors’ analysis draws on original research that maps the concentration of research interests, new developments, publications and centers of production in Brazilian sociology, using qualitative and quantitative data. It concludes with a reflection on the potential impact of the recent far-right turn in Brazilian politics on the future of the discipline. This book contributes a valuable country study to the history of sociology and will appeal to a range of social scientists in addition to scholars of disciplinary historiography, intellectual and Brazilian history.

This book is the first English-language study of the social, intellectual and institutional history of sociology and the social sciences in Hungary.  Starting with the emergence of the discipline in the early 20th century, Karady and Nagy chart its development throughout various transformations of Hungarian society: from the liberal Dual Monarchy, through the respective Christian and Stalinist regimes, and culminating in the modern scholarly field today. Drawing on large-scale prosopographical materials, the authors use empirically-based socio-historical analysis to measure the impact of successive and radical regime changes on the country's intellectual life.  This will be an important and original point of reference for scholars and students of historical sociology, and Eastern European intellectual history.

This book is the first English-language study of the social, intellectual and institutional history of sociology and the social sciences in Hungary.  Starting with the emergence of the discipline in the early 20th century, Karady and Nagy chart its development throughout various transformations of Hungarian society: from the liberal Dual Monarchy, through the respective Christian and Stalinist regimes, and culminating in the modern scholarly field today. Drawing on large-scale prosopographical materials, the authors use empirically-based socio-historical analysis to measure the impact of successive and radical regime changes on the country's intellectual life.  This will be an important and original point of reference for scholars and students of historical sociology, and Eastern European intellectual history.

This Palgrave Pivot will present a comprehensive history of sociology in Britain, tracking the discipline's intellectual developments within the institutional and political context. After tracing the early development of the subject as an intellectual field in empirical and idealist philosophy, evolutionism, socialism, and statistical investigations, Scott lays out the trajectory of sociology as an institutionalised discipline. British Sociology maps the spread of the subject from the first Sociology Department at LSE to cover the whole country. It considers the establishment of significant professional organisations and journals, and the impact of feminism and political change. Scott also reviews theoretical engagement with Marxism, interactionism, feminism, and post-structuralism and the development of the discipline through research studies of crime, race and ethnicity, community, stratification, health, sexuality, and work.Set against the backdrop of a changing political context that has seen the growth of neoliberalism and globalisation, and looking forward with the ongoing search for 'new directions,' this useful and original contribution will appeal to both academics and students across sociology, criminology, and the political sciences.

This Palgrave Pivot will present a comprehensive history of sociology in Britain, tracking the discipline's intellectual developments within the institutional and political context. After tracing the early development of the subject as an intellectual field in empirical and idealist philosophy, evolutionism, socialism, and statistical investigations, Scott lays out the trajectory of sociology as an institutionalised discipline. British Sociology maps the spread of the subject from the first Sociology Department at LSE to cover the whole country. It considers the establishment of significant professional organisations and journals, and the impact of feminism and political change. Scott also reviews theoretical engagement with Marxism, interactionism, feminism, and post-structuralism and the development of the discipline through research studies of crime, race and ethnicity, community, stratification, health, sexuality, and work.Set against the backdrop of a changing political context that has seen the growth of neoliberalism and globalisation, and looking forward with the ongoing search for 'new directions,' this useful and original contribution will appeal to both academics and students across sociology, criminology, and the political sciences.

This Palgrave Pivot offers a comprehensive portrayal of the development of sociology in Argentina from the mid-1950s to the present day. This first long-term account in English maps the discipline’s troubled trajectory and its close relation to the broader (and turbulent) Argentinian political and economic context, and provides a dramatic exemplification of the politicization and polarization of an academic field and its consequences. Divided in seven chapters, this book examines the sharply different phases that the discipline went through: from the pioneering 1950s, in which sociology was presented as a “science”, to the activist revolt in the 1960s, led by the student movement, to the traumatic experience of the 1970s, when a cruel dictatorship was established and many sociologists were persecuted, and from its progressive recovery from the 1980s to its current growing (yet unstable) presence within academia, and within state agencies, corporations and consulting agencies, and NGOs.This work will appeal to social scientists and students interested in the relations between academia and politics, and to a general readership interested in the recent history of Argentina and Latin-America.

This open access book traces the development of sociology in Germany from the late 19th century to the present day, providing a concise overview of the main actors, institutional processes, theories, methods, topics and controversies. Throughout the book, the author relates the discipline’s history to its historical, economic, political and cultural contexts. The book begins with sociology in the German Reich, the Weimar Republic, National Socialism and exile, before exploring sociology after 1945 as a ‘key discipline’ of the young Federal Republic of Germany, and reconstructing the periods from 1945 to 1968 and from 1968 to 1990. The final chapters are devoted to sociology in the German Democratic Republic and the period from 1990 to the present day. This work will appeal to students and scholars of sociology, and to a general readership interested in the history of Germany.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the rich and diverse tradition of social thought in Chile over the last century. The authors emphasize the close relationship between sociology and society, and address large issues such as the institutionalization of sociology in the face of an open modernization process following WWII, the key role played by Chile in the regionalization and internationalization of sociology and social sciences in Latin America from the late 1950s until the 1973 Coup d'état, and the radicalization of sociology and the boom of dependency theories during that time. The analysis extends to independent academic centers that kept sociological thought, social intervention and the democratic dream alive within an authoritarian context, and the role of academic and professional sociology since the return to democracy, which has been attentive to accompanying and interpreting the development of a changing Chilean society. Framed within the country's cultural, economic, historical, social and political experience, this overview of the debates, dissemination, networks, and educational programs associated with sociology, will be of interest to students and scholars of Latin American studies and historical sociology.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the rich and diverse tradition of social thought in Chile over the last century. The authors emphasize the close relationship between sociology and society, and address large issues such as the institutionalization of sociology in the face of an open modernization process following WWII, the key role played by Chile in the regionalization and internationalization of sociology and social sciences in Latin America from the late 1950s until the 1973 Coup d'état, and the radicalization of sociology and the boom of dependency theories during that time. The analysis extends to independent academic centers that kept sociological thought, social intervention and the democratic dream alive within an authoritarian context, and the role of academic and professional sociology since the return to democracy, which has been attentive to accompanying and interpreting the development of a changing Chilean society. Framed within the country's cultural, economic, historical, social and political experience, this overview of the debates, dissemination, networks, and educational programs associated with sociology, will be of interest to students and scholars of Latin American studies and historical sociology.

This book represents the first comprehensive century-long history of the disciplinary development of sociology in Serbia in English. It provides an overview of the constitution of sociology as an academic discipline during the interwar period, its reinstitutionalization after World War II in entirely new social circumstances marked by establishment of self-management socialism in Yugoslavia, and finally its development during the turbulent postsocialist period. Divided into five chapters, the focus of the book is on the challenges that sociology has faced in order to maintain its institutional position, gain adequate social recognition, and preserve its professional autonomy. Relying on Bourdieu's concept of the academic field and Burawoy's typology of Professional, Critical, Public and Policy sociology, the book seeks to answer the question of how the sociological academic field in Serbia has been constituted, structured and restructured, and in which of these roles sociology hasdominantly appeared in different phases of its evolution.

This Palgrave Pivot presents a concise yet comprehensive history of sociology in Ecuador. The case of Ecuador is especially interesting, as Ecuadorian sociology oscillated between theoretical debates—some of them out of time—and a constant search for ways of applying them to the local reality. In the decades after its formal creation in 1915, early academic sociology in Ecuador worked creatively with already outdated theories around positivism and organicism to understand the indigenous population's position, the regional fragmentation, and the formation of a coherent nation-state in Ecuador. After a short attempt of installing a more technical sociology in the 1960s, those topics were taken up and re-read by Marxist-inspired critical sociology after the 1970s, leading to the nation-wide institutionalization of one particular tradition that could connect to continental debates. This book engages with several relevant debates in social sciences and humanities, particularly by adding tothe thriving research on social sciences and the role of the university and higher education in Latin America. Furthermore, it touches some recently influential topics in sociology: Ecuadorian sociology can be read as Southern Theory or engaged with from a postcolonial or decolonial perspective; the research on how ideas travel, are diffused or localized is vital for understanding sociology in Ecuador; the relation between academia and politics; and more.

This Palgrave Pivot provides a concise history of the development of sociology in Greece. It provides a compelling narrative of the discipline’s embryonic state, its promising beginnings that aligned with its contact with the then robust French and German accomplishments in sociology. It continues with sociology’s entanglement with modern Greece’s turbulent history during the Civil War and the junta years. It charts Greece's gradual recovery during the mid-1970s, which led to sociology’s institutionalization. Yet such institutional boom was not free of politicization processes, many of which proved residual and resilient, stemming from the dictatorship years, as well as from Greece’s dependency during its process of modernization. This book completes this historical account by reconsidering sociology’s gradual embrace of a multi-paradigmatic orientation, its opportunities in light of the burgeoning Greek EU membership and extroversion. It concludes with charting sociology’s position inthe 21st century, facing challenges like the Great Recession and its impact in Greece as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Palgrave Pivot presents a historical reflection about the development of sociology in Colombia from the late nineteenth century into the mid-twentieth century, a period in which the process of professionalization in the discipline occurred due to the creation of university training programs, as well as the extension of research centers and groups nationwide. The book exposes the different interrelations at the local, regional and international ambits that, only in part, offer a similar panorama to what happened in other Latin American processes in relation to the academic institutionalization of sociology. The role of international networks and government initiatives, national and foreign, was central to this development and, in general, to the take-off of sociology in the country, as happened in others nations such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. This book argues that, in Colombia, having these networks and initiatives during the Cold Wargenerated various tensions, which appeared early, between these forms of financing as a political effort to contain left movements in the region (especially after the Cuban Revolution) and the attempt to achieve an autonomous science. However, the Colombian case presents some peculiarities in the configuration of sociology at the national level. These are associated, to a large extent, with the phenomena that have been decisive in the history of the country: a nation without dictatorships between 1960 and 1970, unlike other South American countries, but with a restricted democracy that even today offers difficulties in order to accept alternative forces. This book also considers the effects of the longest armed conflict known in the continent and its own historical transformations in the face of the role played by various actors such as guerrillas, drug trafficking and paramilitary groups. The book thus discusses, under a specific case study, the role of science as well as the possibilities of social transformation through human action. This book constitutes not only a journey on the academic institutionalization and the professional practice of sociology in Colombia; it is also an opportunity to think about what is coming in this field in a possible post-conflict scenario.

This open access book presents a condensed history of Sociology in Mexico from its origins, through to the middle of the 19th century and up to the present day. The book analyses the interaction between sociology and the main economic, political and social change in the country, including the 1910 Mexican Revolution, the main social movements, the role of the intellectual exiles from Spain and Latin America, and the participation of women, who have often remained invisible in the history of sociology.  The book explores how sociological discourse played a fundamental role in the separation of secular and public education and the search for a ‘national project’ from 1868 onwards, despite the lack of an institute of social research until 1930; how sociology became an autonomous social science, led by a few intellectuals and public figures, as it became institutionalized in universities, and the effect this had on the development of the discipline; the influence of Marxism during the 1970s; and the progression from a process of specialization after the fall of the Berlin Wall to a new trend of working in collective projects with an increasing interdisciplinary perspective in the first decades of the 21st century.

This open access book presents a condensed history of Sociology in Mexico from its origins, through to the middle of the 19th century and up to the present day. The book analyses the interaction between sociology and the main economic, political and social change in the country, including the 1910 Mexican Revolution, the main social movements, the role of the intellectual exiles from Spain and Latin America, and the participation of women, who have often remained invisible in the history of sociology.  The book explores how sociological discourse played a fundamental role in the separation of secular and public education and the search for a ‘national project’ from 1868 onwards, despite the lack of an institute of social research until 1930; how sociology became an autonomous social science, led by a few intellectuals and public figures, as it became institutionalized in universities, and the effect this had on the development of the discipline; the influence of Marxism during the 1970s; and the progression from a process of specialization after the fall of the Berlin Wall to a new trend of working in collective projects with an increasing interdisciplinary perspective in the first decades of the 21st century.