Contemporary Civilizational Analysis in World and Russian Sociology: Problems and Prospects

Occupation: Lead researcher; Professor at the Department of Political Science
Affiliation:
Sociological Institute of FCTAS RAS
National Research University Higher School of Economics
Address: Russian Federation, St.-Petersburg

Journal name

Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya

Edition

Issue 3

Pages

3-12

Abstract

Contemporary civilizational analysis is a dynamic field in world historical sociology. This perspective develops the Weberian sociological tradition focusing on civilizational foundations of different trajectories of political modernization. At the same time civilizational analysis encounters some obstacles caused by its internal conceptual problems, the persistence of disciplinary boundaries between sociology and history and also ideological use of the civilization concept. In particular, ideologization of the civilizational approach proved to be one of the reasons for its slow reception in Russian sociology. Nevertheless, interest in civilizational analysis represented by the works of Shmuel Eisenstadt and Johann Arnason has been growing among Russian researchers since the early 2010s. But it should be taken into account that civilizational analysis largely remains on the level of general theory. Working out middle range theories which could be subject to empirical testing constitutes a challenge to that approach. The article argues that such theories can be formulated on the basis of the research program of “civilizational politics” in the field of international relations. This program has been influenced by the ideas of historical sociologists and at the same time it is more empirically oriented. The article regards new perspectives in historical sociology and studies of international relations as largely complementary.

Keywords

historical sociology, interdisciplinary approach, civilizational analysis, ideology, international relations, civilizational politics

Received

14.12.2021

Publication date

28.03.2022

Number of characters

23400

Cite

GOST	Maslovskiy M. Contemporary Civilizational Analysis in World and Russian Sociology: Problems and Prospects // Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya – 2022. – Issue 3 C. 3-12 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/socis/s013216250018034-0-1-en (circulation date: 06.05.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S013216250018034-0
MLA	Maslovskiy, Mikhail V "Contemporary Civilizational Analysis in World and Russian Sociology: Problems and Prospects." Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya 3 (2022):3-12. DOI: 10.31857/S013216250018034-0
APA	Maslovskiy M. (2022). Contemporary Civilizational Analysis in World and Russian Sociology: Problems and Prospects. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya (3), pp.3-12 DOI: 10.31857/S013216250018034-0

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