The Institutionalization of Soviet Sociology: Its Social and Political Context

Abstract

Existing accounts of the history of Soviet sociology are deficient in that they sometimes attribute the reemergence of sociology in the USSR to a single cause; or they place too much emphasis on separate groups or individuals. The development of sociology in the USSR must be seen as shaped by the interplay of various important state and party institutions-the Central Committee of the Communist party of the USSR, the Academy of Sciences, the Soviet Sociological Association, the Ministry of Education, and the major universities. The part played by the Communist party, as active promoter and supporter of sociology, is underlined; as is the important influence of the universities of Marxism-Leninism (organized by the Party) in preparing cadres of sociologists throughout the country. This was especially crucial since such professional education was lacking in the more traditional schools. The evolution of these various interlocking influences during two periods of the development of sociology (1956-60 and 1960-68) is traced. The analysis of the revival of Soviet sociology leads us to recognize two major differences between Soviet and American sociology: the mode of thinking (hence the nature of social research, itselp; and the character of the organization and development of a community of sociologists. Soviet sociology is distinguished from any Western brand by its propensity for measuring everything from a collectivistic rather than individualistic point of view. An analyis of the employment of members of the Soviet Sociological Association shows a large proportion of party officials among the sociologists: Soviet sociology has close and multiple connections with the establishment. It is essential to recognize the practical functions of Soviet sociology, its intricate connection to the power system, and its particular pragmatic and ideological orientation.