Sociology in the Czech Republic

This book offers the first comprehensive overview in English of the history of sociology in what is today the Czech Republic. Divided into six chapters, it traces the institutional development of the discipline from the late 19th century until the present, with an emphasis on the periods most favorable for sociology's institutionalization: the interwar years, the 1960s and the post-1989 era. The narrative places the institutions, persons and ideas that have been central to the discipline into the broader social and political context. Marek Skovajsa and Jan Balon show that sociology in the Czech Republic has been wedded to the dominant political projects of each successive historical period: nation- and state-building until after WWII, the communist experiment in 1948-1989, liberal democratic reconstruction after 1989, and internationalization after 2000. This work will appeal to social scientists and to a general readership interested in Czech culture and society.

Offers the first history of Czech sociology Presents illuminating examples of the particularities of the institutionalization of sociology in the Czech Republic Explores the relationship between Czech sociology and the project of nation building Analyzes both the institutional and organizational aspects of the development of Czech sociology Presents the development of Czech sociology within the historical context of belonging to the Austrian sphere of influence until 1918 and functioning within a broader Czechoslovak institutional system until 1992 Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Auteur
Marek Skovajsa is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Czech Republic. His research focus is on the history of sociology, social theory, culture and civil society.
Jan Balon is Lecturer at the Institute of Sociological Studies, Charles University and Head of Department and Researcher at Centre for Science, Technology and Society Studies, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic. His areas of interest include philosophy of science, sociological theory and epistemology.

Contenu
Introduction: An Institutional History of Sociology in the Czech Republic.- 1: Sociology in Service to Nation-Building: The Legacy of Tomá Garrigue Masaryk.- 2: A False Beginning? The Growth and Destruction of Czech Sociology 1918-1950.- 3: 1950-1969: Becoming a Counsellor to the Socialist Prince.- 4: 1969-1989: The Long Hour of Party Ideologists.- 5: The 1990s: Reconstruction and the Turn to the West.- 6: After 2000: Plugging into the European Context.