Sociology and Society in the Twenty-First Century: Crises and Images of the Future (a Round Table Discussion)

Sociology and Society in the Twenty-First Century:
Crises and Images of the Future (a Round Table Discussion)


Pokrovsky N.Ye.

Dr. Sci. (Sociol.), Prof., National Research University Higher School of Economics; Chief Researcher, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia. npokrovsky@hse.ru

Simonova O.A.

Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Assoc., Prof., National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia. osimonova@hse.ru

Matveeva E.V.

Student of the Master's programme “Sociology of Public and Business Sphere”, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia. kateryna_f@mail.ru

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For citation:

Pokrovsky N.Ye., Simonova O.A., Matveeva E.V. Sociology and Society in the Twenty-First Century: Crises and Images of the Future (a Round Table Discussion). Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2020. No 4. P. 50-59




Abstract

On November 28–30, 2019 an International Scientific Conference “The Future of Sociological Knowledge and Challenges of Social Transformation (to the 90th Anniversary of V.A. Yadov)” took place, and within the framework of the conference a round table discussion of Community of Professional Sociologists was held, the general content of which we offer to the readers. The main issue of the discussion was the state and role of sociology in Russia and the world. The participants expressed different positions, outlined a main problems of sociological knowledge and profession, diagnosed both crisis phenomena and grounds for development of a modern sociology. Specialists stated that the crisis in the theoretical understanding of society in sociology is reflected to a certain extent in society’s distrust to sociology. Practically each of the participants discussed the public role of sociologist in the modern world, which faces the need to interact with commercial and power organizations. Discussing the fate of sociology in the 21st century, the participants proposed ways out of the crisis – rethinking the subject of sociology, new ways of assembling the palette of modern sociological research, the need to return to the theory of a holistic image of society and construction of ideas about the ways of future development of society.


Keywords
sociological theory; crisis in sociology and society; public role of a sociologist; future of the sociology

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Content No 4, 2020