Sociology in the USSR 1965-1975

• Published in: Current sociology 1978-07, Vol.26 (2), p.1-160
• Main Authors: Osipov, G V, Rutkevich, M N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Sociology; Union of Soviet Socialist Republics/USSR (see also Russia, Soviet)
• ISSN: 0011-3921
• DOI: 10.1177/001139217802600202

Objective information is presented on the place & role of sociology in the USSR from 1965 to 1975, its principal tendencies, theoretical & practical functions, & research methods. Marxist-Leninist sociology in the USSR is seen to perform the following three functions: (1) understanding the objective regularities of social processes-its cognitive function; (2) contributing to the formulation of recommendations for the scientific administration of various spheres of social life-its practical function; & (3) participation in the task of ideological education for those who are combating modern reactionary sociological conceptions-its ideological function. The solid Marxist tradition upon which Soviet sociology is based is analyzed, the essential element of which is the unity of theory & practice. The western view that Soviet sociology did not develop until the late 1950s or during the 1960s is held to be false, the discipline having already reached an advanced stage in the 1920s, but for various historical reasons was temporarily delayed in its development. It became particularly active in the late 1950s & early 1960s. The serious efforts of Soviet sociologists to surmount an excessive empiricism is discussed. The Soviet government's examination of the role of sociology with respect to the social sciences, the relationship between historical materialism & sociological research, & the status & structure of sociological thought which took place in the second half of the 1960s is analyzed. The increasing participation of Soviet sociologists in international conferences is noted. Soviet sociologists work in the following types of organizations: (A) the scientific research institutes of the USSR Academy of Sciences & of the Republics of the Union, (B) the universities & other institutions of higher learning, & (C) the sociological laboratories of factories, industrial branches, & economic & transportation organizations. Sociology is currently taught in the departments of philosophy. A bibliography of Soviet sociological literature for 1965-1975 is presented based on 'Book Chronicles' (Knizhnye Letopisya) for 1965-1973, the bibliographical catalogs of the institute of Scientific Information on the Social Sciences, & the weekly 'Book Review' (Knizhnoe obozrenie) for 1966-1975. It contains 725 titles & is divided into the following categories: (a) characteristic features of the recent development of Marxist-Leninist sociology in the USSR, (b) problems of the developme