Sociology as a science represents an alienation of scientific knowledge about society and its components: social relations, systems, laws of development, social institutions, etc.
Sociology in Russia has a difficult destiny. The political upheavals directly affected the development of sociological theory and practice.
Researchers believe that sociology in Russiait began in the middle of the nineteenth century. The reason was the political and social problems of Russian society. By the end of the XIX century, the level of development of sociology was quite high in comparison with foreign sociological theory. In this regard, it should be noted that the formation of scientific concepts of pre-revolutionary sociology was influenced both by the works of foreign sociologists and by the social trends in Russia of this period-Slavophilism and Westernism.
Experts note that the early twentieth centurywas marked by the achievements of Russian sociologists in the development of scientific sociological knowledge and the formation of the Russian sociological school. Sociology in Russia presented new directions to the European scientific community. Piritim Sorokin singled out the following sociological schools of this period: mechanical, synthetic, geographic, biological, biosocial.
After the events of 1917, sociology inand other social sciences fell under the rigid ideological control of the state. The practical importance of science was questioned. Representatives of sociological thought either were forced to leave the country, or suffered from a totalitarian regime. Perhaps this process is connected with the fact that already during the revolutionary events of 1905 there was a confrontation of the majority of Russian sociologists with the theorists of Marxism. The result of the attitude of ideological isolation was the separation of sociological science from the European one. The names of Russian sociologists were forgotten, and the works of Western researchers were presented through a certain ideological view.
Speaking about the development of sociology in Russia, it is necessary to mention those researchers who played a significant role in the development of sociological knowledge in Russia.
Danilevsky Nikolai Yakovlevich (1822-1885).Representative of the anti-evolutionary model of the development of society. Developed the ideas of pan-Slavism. The scientific work "Russia and Europe" has been popular in sociological circles to the present day.
Lavrov Petr Lavrovich (1823-1900).Representative of the direction of sociological thought "anthropologism." Historians associate the emergence of subjectivism with the name of Peter Lavrov. It should be noted that subjective sociology in Russia has developed in the direction of determining the leading role of the individual in historical progress. Peter Lavrov defined many of the concepts of sociology that are still used in scientific circles.
Mechnikov Lev Ilyich (1838-1888).Representative of the "geographical school" in Russian sociology. Development of society associated with the importance of geographical conditions, substantiated the stages of development of civilization under the influence of water resources: river, Mediterranean, oceanic.
Mikhailovsky, Nikolai Konstantinovich (1842-1904). A follower of the Narodnik direction in literature and sociology. Developed sociological ideas about the role of the individual in social progress.
Kareyev Nikolai Ivanovich (1850-1931). He made a great contribution to the history of sociology, the development of its methodological foundations.
Pitirim Sorokin (1889-1968) Representativeempirical neopositivism (critical realism). The central idea of sociological thought in P. Sorokin is value. He had a great influence on the formation of modern sociology. His works require further reflection and analysis.
The development of science in modern Russia is experiencing a scientific advance. Studying the history of sociology makes it possible to apply sociological thought in new historical conditions.
