The questionnaire as a methodical form of studying revolutions: on the example of Pitirim Sorokin's theory

Abstract

The article explores the interaction between sociological and historical knowledge using the example of Pitirim Sorokin's theory of revolution and the methodological views of Marc Bloch. To achieve this goal, a general overview of the work "Sociology of Revolution" by an American researcher was conducted, and the identity of the methodological approaches presented therein to studying revolutionary processes with the questionnaire technique of a French historian was revealed. The obtained results allowed for the utilization of Pitirim Sorokin's developments as a methodological framework by Marc Bloch for analyzing an archival document describing the Zvenyhorod uprising in the territory of Kyiv province in June 1918. As a result, it was demonstrated that constructing a questionnaire based on sociological theory is an important task for a researcher working in the field of historical sociology and sociology of revolutions. The use of the proposed methodological framework enables the enhancement of the quality of socio-historical knowledge, as the researcher can documentarily reproduce the life of society experiencing revolutionary conditions. Given close cooperation between sociologists and historians regarding the development of questionnaires, the coordination of procedures for selecting primary materials and methods of analysis, there is a real possibility of a documentary turn in historical sociology and sociology of revolutions in the future. A direct outcome of such processes could be the establishment of a proper methodological and empirical basis for the emergence of qualitatively new research in the field of sociology of revolutions, ultimately allowing sociologists to utilize more reliable sources for analyzing the causes, course, and consequences of revolutions.