French Sociology

Is sociology every bit a dependent dissimilar inwards French Republic than inwards FRG or Britain? Or do mutual facts virtually the so...

Is sociology every bit a dependent dissimilar inwards French Republic than inwards FRG or Britain? Or do mutual facts virtually the social basis entail that sociology is everywhere the same?

The social sciences experience dissimilar from physics or mathematics, inwards that their evolution seems much to a greater extent than path-dependent in addition to contingent. The problems selected, the theoretical resources deployed, the modes of prove considered most relevant -- all these considerations bring to locomote specified; in addition to they bring been specified differently inwards dissimilar times in addition to places. An before postal service considered the arc of sociology inwards French Republic (link).

Johan Heilbron's link.) Heilbron approaches this topic from the indicate of persuasion of historical sociology; he wants to write a historical sociology of the dependent of sociology.

For this historical-sociological persuasion I bring adopted a long-term perspective inwards gild to uncover patterns of continuity in addition to alter that would bring otherwise remained hidden. Several aspects of contemporary French sociology—its seat inwards the Faculty of Letters, for example—can locomote understood solely past times going dorsum inwards fourth dimension much farther than is normally done. (2)

Understanding ideas is non simply virtually concepts, theories, in addition to assumptions—however of import they are—it simultaneously raises issues virtually how such ideas come upwardly into being, how they are mobilized inwards inquiry in addition to other intellectual enterprises, in addition to how they have, or bring not, spread beyond the immediate circle of producers. Understanding intellectual products, to pose it simply in addition to straightforwardly, cannot locomote divorced from agreement their producers in addition to the weather of production. (3)

Heilbron traces the roots of sociological thinking to the Enlightenment inwards France, with the intellectual ethos that whatsoever inquiry could locomote considered scientifically in addition to rationally.

If the Enlightenment has been seen every bit a formative catamenia for the social sciences, it was fundamentally because a secular intelligentsia at nowadays explicitly claimed in addition to effectively exercised the correct to analyze whatsoever dependent matter, even in addition to so controversial, independently of official doctrines. (13)

This gives an intellectual framework to the evolution of sociology; but for Heilbron the specifics of institutions in addition to networks are key for agreement the item pathway that the dependent underwent. Heilbron identifies the establishment after the Revolution of national academies for natural science, human science, in addition to literature every bit an of import 2nd inwards the evolution of the social sciences: "The national Académie des sciences morales et politiques (1832) became the official centre for moral in addition to political studies nether the constitutional regime of the July monarchy" (14). In fact, Heilbron argues that the disciplines of the social sciences inwards French Republic took shape every bit a outcome of a dynamic contest betwixt the Academy in addition to the universities. Much of the operate of the Academy during mid-nineteenth century was directed towards social policy in addition to the "social question" -- the impoverished weather of the lower classes in addition to the attendant opportunity of social unrest. There was the thought that the emerging social sciences could guide the formation of intelligent in addition to effective policies past times the state (20).

Another major impetus to the increase of the social sciences was the French defeat inwards the Franco-Prussian War inwards 1870. This national trauma gave a stimulus locomote past times the enhancement of university-based disciplines. The instance was made (by Emile Zola, for example) that French Republic was defeated because Prussia had the payoff inwards scientific discipline in addition to education; thus French Republic needed to reform in addition to expand its educational scheme in addition to inquiry universities.

Disciplinary social scientific discipline at nowadays became the predominant means of teaching, research, in addition to publishing. University-based disciplines gained a greater marking of autonomy non solely with honour to the national Academy but also vis-à-vis governmental agencies in addition to lay audiences. Establishing professional person autonomy inwards its dissimilar guises—conceptually, socially, in addition to institutionally—was the principal preoccupation of the representatives of the university-based disciplines. (30)

Heilbron pays attending to the scientific institutions through which the social sciences developed inwards the early on twentieth century. Durkheim's success inwards providing orientation to the evolution of sociology during its formative catamenia inwards the early on twentieth century rested inwards unopen to component division on Durkheim's might to do in addition to sustain unopen to of those institutions, including specially the L'Année sociologique. Here is Heilbron's summary of this fact:

Because the Durkheimian programme eclipsed that of its competitors in addition to obtained considerable intellectual recognition, sociology inwards French Republic did non come inwards the academy every bit a scientific discipline of “leftovers,” every bit Albion Small said virtually American sociology. Durkheimian sociology, quite the contrary, represented a challenging in addition to rigorous programme to scientifically report crucial questions virtually morality, religion, in addition to other collective representations, their historical evolution in addition to institutional underpinnings. (90)

Here is a graph of the relationships alongside a number of the primary contributors to L'Année sociologique during 1898-1912:

But Heilbron notes that this influence inwards the institutions of publication inwards the dependent of sociology did non interpret direct or right away into a primary location for the Durkheimians inside the developing academy system.

Heilbron's narrative confirms a intermission inwards the evolution of sociology at the halt of World War II. And inwards fact, it seems to locomote truthful that sociology became a dissimilar dependent inwards French Republic after 1950. Here is how Heilbron characterizes the intellectual field:

Sociological operate after 1945 was caught upwardly inwards a constellation that was defined past times ii antagonistic poles: an intellectual pole represented past times existentialist philosophers who dominated the intellectual in addition to much of the academic champaign in addition to a policy-related inquiry pole inwards state institutes for statistical, economic, in addition to demographic studies. (123-124)

An of import component division of the increase of sociology inwards French Republic inwards this catamenia was stimulated past times practical needs of policy reform in addition to economical reorganization. It was inwards component division because of a lack of intellectual status that the demand for applied inquiry came to fulfill a novel component division for the social sciences. The increase of applied social scientific discipline inquiry was produced past times the needs of economical recovery in addition to the novel utilization of the state inwards that respect. (129)

But academic sociology did non progress rapidly:

In the postwar academic structure, sociology was silent a rather marginal phenomenon, a dependent with petty prestige that was institutionally no to a greater extent than than a child for philosophy undergraduates. The leading academics were the ii professors at the Sorbonne, Georges Davy in addition to Georges Gurvitch, each of whom presided over his ain journal. Davy had succeeded Halbwachs inwards 1944 in addition to resumed the publication of the Année sociologique, assisted past times the final survivors of the Durkheimian network. (130)

Assessing the province of affairs inwards 1955, Alain Touraine observed a near-total separation betwixt academy sociology in addition to empirical research. Researchers were isolated, he wrote, in addition to they lacked solid training, inquiry experience, in addition to professional person prospects. Their working conditions, furthermore, were poor. The CES had solely 3 report rooms for almost 40 researchers in addition to neither the CES nor the CNRS provided inquiry funding. (139)

On Heilbron's account, the large changes inwards sociology began to accelerate inwards the 1970s. Figures similar Touraine, Bourdieu, Crozier, in addition to Boudon brought substantially novel thinking to both theoretical ideas in addition to inquiry problems for sociology. In a subsequently postal service I volition consider his handling of this catamenia inwards the evolution of the discipline.

(Here is an before postal service discussing Gabriel Abend's ideas virtually differences inwards the dependent of sociology across the world; link.)