Abstract
The author of this paper discusses the current state of historical sociology in Russia reflected in the respective section of the Sociological studies journal. After noting the potentialities of the discipline, the author summarizes the overall output of the 20 years’ long existence of this section. The basic preoccupation in the initial phase of the section’s existence was to get – and convey to readers – a clear understanding of the essence and functions of contemporary historical sociology (HS in the text below), to introduce its potentialities to the Russian sociologist audience. However, even today there are few regular contributors, authors tend to delve into minor issues, and even resort to long surpassed views on the discipline. A most urgent issue for Russian historical sociology today is, according to the author, to draw lessons from Russia’s recent centuries to understand the essence of Russia’s present as it is penetrated by its past: “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under the circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living” (К. Маrx). This is the essence of the enigmas to be deciphered by historical sociologists. The author formulates some such enigmas (like the proverbial Russian rake repeatedly stepped-upon) observable in recent (as well as earlier) events in the country.
Highlights
Аbstract: The author of this paper discusses the current state of historical sociology in Russia reflected in the respective section of the Sociological studies journal
Recognition by the top Russian sociological community of the issues of HS was reflected in grants by the Russian Academic Foundation of Humanities (RHAF) between 2003 and 2010 – first for a general review of the field, for studying the current problems of HS, and for the theme of “historicization”
I had to write for the section too (I enjoyed it), for instance with a reconstruction of Stalin’s thinking in the spring of 1941 [Romanovskiy 2005], when he suddenly commanded publication of his 1934 notes on a text from F
Summary
Аbstract: The author of this paper discusses the current state of historical sociology in Russia reflected in the respective section of the Sociological studies journal.
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