Main trends of research in the social and human ... - unesdoc - Unesco

IV. NATIONAL VARIATIONS IN SOCIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES
Sociology I 19
Between the two World Wars interest in empirical research and often quanti-
fication increased in every country where sociology existed. During the Second
World War, this trend was interrupted except in the United States, where the
Government and private foundations supported social research as an aid in
mobilizing the human resources of the country. As soon as the war ended the
pent-up interest in empirical studies broke through, especially appealing to the
younger generation.IIOThe only source of literature and methodological experi-
ence was the USA. No wonder then that much of the material available to us
mentions the period around 1946 (in Eastern European countries 1956) as a
turning point in their sociological development.II1
As a result there is considerable uniformity in the activities as reported from
all countries. Every phase of modern life is either actuaIly subject to empirical
investigations or hope is expressed that such wil soon be the case. Especially in
the larger, more industrialized countries, the only question usually is whether
one field is stronger or weaker in terms of available funds and personnel.
Comparable statistical data on present sociological research by topic or
category in all countries would be most useful. The reporting of similar efforts
has the advantage of making available more and more comparative data on the
same subject. Some examples of such parallel research have been given in
Section II on macrosociology, and many others wil be found in Chapter x by
Mr. Rokkan. A serious question arises: is there a danger that this uniformity
might suppress national differences which could be productive for the develop-
ment of the entire field? Our information is not detailed enough to answer
this question, but we are able to point up some national differences which wil
be recorded here.
At least three advantages should accrue from such a review. First, it could form
a basis for a study on the sociology of knowledge. What are the social factors
which account for variations? Second, such an inventory could be used as a
source of information on data and ideas available in only one or a few countries.
Finally, such a comparison should make social scientists aware of problems and
procedures they might have overlooked because of being too close to the intel-
lectual trends of their own countries. We divide our report into two parts. The
first has to do with subject matter; the second covers a number of specific
methodological and administrative issues.
For easier orientation we divide the first part into three sub-sections. In
certain countries some topics are more, or even uniquely stressed because social
reality brings them to the attention of sociologists. In a second group of exam-
ples the differences are due more to the general cultural tradition of the country.
These are probably the most important. Contemporary empirical research
procedures, have, for better or for worse, been shaped by the American cultural
milieu, both academic and national. It is generally hoped that as these methods
are introduced into other countries, they will be reshaped and enlarged
by the national intellectual tradition. Nor has it always been easy to make
the distinction between these two categories (is it really cultural?). In some