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128 P. F. Lazarsfeld
I. Rigidity of academic structures. Naturally, the first step in implanting sociol-
ogy as a discipline in a country is its acceptance in the academic milieu, but
this is not yet a universal phenomen. For example,
in all of Greece it is only at Pierce College where sociology is currently being taught,
[and] owing to its being an all-girl school, its small size and its English instruction,
[its] impact on Greek academic life has necessarily been limited. Suffice it to say,
sociology as an academic discipline is virtually non-existent in Greek universities. Not
only has sociology been unable to be accorded the legitimacy of the traditional univer-
sity disciplines (e.g., philology, philosophy, theology, law, history), but it has also not
enjoyed the acceptance given to other social sciences such as psychology, political
science and economics.16~
Even in Italy where sociology is well-developed, there remains a certain distrust
on the part of scholars of the traditional humanistic sciences. The problem of
reforming the structures of the university faculties of political and social
sciences came to the fore in September, 1966 when the Government submitted a
bill to this effect to Parliament. The ensuing controversy
has offered an occasion for ‘pronouncements’ against sociology which are rather
abusive and in which there are signs of a fear of a sociological ‘invasion’ ... On their
part, the university faculties are largely in favor of introducing sociology courses in
their statutes, as long as they continue to be facultative subjects; but they tend to
assume a critical attitude towards the envisaged faculty of political and social sciences,
not so much because it is intended for the training of social scientists, but because it
might, at the same time, contribute to the training of public administration officers,
and economists and historians. In such a case, in fact, the new faculty would be in a
competitive position with the faculties of law, economics and arts. This explains the
hostile attitude of the Association of University Professors.166
A final example is from Switzerland where a local commentator affirms that
the difficulties of Swiss sociologists stem in part from an undeclared mistrust on the
part of those human sciences which have already been accepted. Sociology is seen as a
competitor or it is misunderstood; it is not taken seriously or it is considered as a
pseudoscience.’67
There are also examples of where sociology has been completely accepted as a
discipline, but traditional academic boundaries confine it within certain limits.
In Sweden
there seems to be a tacit understanding that the study of organization qua organization
is the domain of political scientists who have recently added interviewing and similar
field techniques to their traditional methods. It is not alleged, of course, that sociolo-
gists have forgotten the principle of formal organization, something they encounter in
many areas, e.g., industrial sociology. Also, there are signs of stronger activity in this
particular field among younger members of the profession. It is nevertheless striking
that there is no major study of a political, religious, labour or cooperative organization
on the senior level of doctoral and post-doctoral work.16E
2. Teaching and training. In many countries sociology as an academic discipline
has been introduced only relatively recently. In Hungary, sociology formerly
played a relatively minor role at the university, and course offerings were in-
adequate for training sociologists; accordingly, Hungarian sociologists have
been trained mainly in economics and philosophy.x69 In Bulgaria, no special