Pitirim Sorokin

Pitirim Sorokin
Pitirim Sorokin (1934).

Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin (Russian: Питири́м Алекса́ндрович Соро́кин; January 21, 1889 – February 11, 1968) was a Russian-American sociologist born in Komi (Finno-Ugric region of Russia). Academic and political activist in Russia, he emigrated from Russia to the United States in 1923. He founded the Department of Sociology at Harvard University. He was a vocal opponent of Talcott Parsons' theories. Sorokin was an ardent opponent of communism, which he regarded as a "pest of man."[citation needed] He is best known for his contributions to the social cycle theory.

Contents

Biography

Supporting himself as artisan and clerk, he was able to study at the University of St. Petersburg and to teach sociology and law. Sorokin joined the Socialist-Revolutionary Party and was imprisoned three times by the czarist regime of Russian Empire; during the Russian Revolution he was a member of Alexander Kerensky's Russian Provisional Government. After the October Revolution he engaged in anti-Communist activities, for which he was condemned to death by the victorious Communist government; the sentence was commuted to exile. He emigrated in 1923 to the United States and was naturalized in 1930. Sorokin was professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota (1924–30) and at Harvard University (1930–55), where he founded the Department of Sociology.

Works

Before his achievements as a professor in the United States he had his diary, Leaves of a Russian Diary, published in 1924 by E.P. Dutton & Co., giving his personal daily account and at times hourly account of the Russian Revolution which actually first started in February of 1917 where he was in the forefront of creating a provisionary government only to see it unravel and lose power to the Bolsheviks in October 1917. He published an addendum to the book in 1950 called The Thirty Years After published by The Beacon Press. It is a personal and brutishly honest account of the revolution and of his exile. His academic writings cover the breadth of sociology; his controversial theories of social process and of the historical typology of cultures are expounded in Social and Cultural Dynamics (4 vol., 1937–41; rev. and abridged ed. 1957) and many other works. He was also interested in social stratification, the history of sociological theory, and altruistic behavior.

Sorokin is author of books such as The crisis of our age and Power and morality, but his magnum opus is Social and Cultural Dynamics (1937–1941). His unorthodox theories contributed to the social cycle theory and inspired (or alienated) many sociologists.

In his Social and Cultural Dynamics he classified societies according to their 'cultural mentality', which can be ideational (reality is spiritual), sensate (reality is material), or idealistic (a synthesis of the two). He suggested that major civilizations evolve through these three in turn: ideational, idealistic, sensate. Each of these phases of cultural development not only seeks to describe the nature of reality, but also stipulates the nature of human needs and goals to be satisfied, the extent to which they should be satisfied, and the methods of satisfaction. Sorokin has interpreted the contemporary Western civilisation as a sensate civilisation dedicated to technological progress and prophesied its fall into decadence and the emergence of a new ideational or idealistic era.

In Fads and foibles, he criticizes Lewis Terman's Genetic Studies of Genius research, showing that his selected group of children with high IQs did about as well as a random group of children selected from similar family backgrounds would have done.[1]

Sorokin's papers are currently held by the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada where they are available for the public. In March 2009 the Sorokin Research Center was established at the facilities of Syktyvkar State University in the Republic of Komi for the purpose of research and publication of archive materials, mainly from the collection at the University of Saskatchewan. The first research project “Selected Correspondence of Pitirim Sorokin: Scientist from Komi on The Service of Humanity” (in Russian) has been drafted and will be in print in the Fall of 2009 in Russia.[2]

See also

Publications

  • Social and Cultural Dynamics: A Study of Change in Major Systems of Art, Truth, Ethics, Law and Social Relationships (1957 (reprinted 1970) ed.). Boston: Extending Horizons Books, Porter Sargent Publishers. ISBN 0-87558-029-7. 
  • Sorokin, Pitirim Aleksandrovich (1954/2002). The Ways and Power of Love: Types, Factors, and Techniques of Moral Transformation. Philadelphia: Templeton Foundation Press (Original work published 1954). ISBN 1890151866.  (with introduction by Stephen G. Post in 2002 edition) (552 pages)
  • Fads and foibles in modern sociology and related sciences. Chicago, H. Regnery Co., 1956, OCoLC 609427839. Reprinted by Greenwood Publishing Group, 1976, ISBN 978-0-8371-8733-4.
  • (with Lunden, W. A.), Power and morality: who shall guard the guardians? Boston, MA: Porter Sargent Publishers, 1959
  • Teaming up: making the transition to a self-directed, team-based organization (1995). ISBN 978-0-0705-1646-5
  • The crisis of our age, Chatam, NY: Oneworld Publications, Ltd, 1992
  • "Society, Culture, and Personality: Their Structure and Dynamics, A System of General Sociology" , Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York & London, 1947 (723 double columned pages plus an 11 triple coumned page Index and a 7 triple columned page Index of Names)

On Sorokin

References

  1. ^ Gladwell, Malcolm (2008). Outliers. New York. pp. 90. ISBN 978-0-316-03669-6. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/104760101. 
  2. ^ "Sorokin Research Center (Russia, Komi Republic, Syktyvkar)" (in Russian). Sorokin Research Center. http://www.pitirimsorokin.org. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 

External links

See also


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  • Pitirim Sorokin — Pitirim Alexandrowitsch Sorokin (* 21. Januar 1889 in Turja (nördlich von Syktywkar), Gouvernement Wologda; † 11. Februar 1968) in Winchester (Massachusetts), USA) war ein russisch/US amerikanischer Soziologe, der u.a. durch seine theoretischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Pitirim Sorokin — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Archivo:Replace this image1.svg Image needed Pitirim Sorokin (Turia, cerca de Siktivkar, 1889 Harvard, 1968) fue un sociólogo estadounidense de origen ruso. Emigró a los Estados Unidos desde Rusia en 1923, después de …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pitirim Sorokin — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Sorokine. Pitirim Sorokin (en russe : Питирим Александрович Сорокин, Pitirim Aleksandrovitch Sorokine) (1889 dans l Empire russe 1968) est un sociologue américain issu de l immigration russe. Exilé de son… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Pitirim A. Sorokin — Pitirim Alexandrowitsch Sorokin (* 21. Januar 1889 in Turja (nördlich von Syktywkar, Republik Komi, Russland); † 11. Februar 1968) in Winchester (Massachusetts), USA) war ein russisch/US amerikanischer Soziologe, der u.a. durch seine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sorokin — ( ru. Сорокин), or Sorokina (feminine; Сорокина), is a common Russian last name, which is derived from the Russian word soroka (сорока, or magpie). It may refer to the following:* Alexander Sorokin, writer * Alexei Sorokin, cosmonaut * Anatoly… …   Wikipedia

  • Sorokin — (russ. Сорокин) ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Alexei Iwanowitsch Sorokin (* 1922), sowjetisch russischer Flottenadmiral Jewgraf Semjonowitsch Sorokin (1821–1892), russischer Maler Maxim Iljitsch Sorokin (1968–2007), russischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sorokin — Sorokin: Pitirim Sorokin (1889 1968), un sociólogo estadounidense de origen ruso (Roberto Fidel Ernesto) Coti Sorokin (Esparza) (* 1973), un cantante y compositor argentino Sorokin (Rusia) (Сорокин), localidad de Rusia. Esta página de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Pitirim — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Pitirim est un nom propre qui peut désigner : Sommaire 1 Prénom ou patronyme 2 Saints chrétiens …   Wikipédia en Français

  • SOROKIN (P. A.) — SOROKIN PITIRIM ALEXANDROVITCH (1889 1968) Né en Russie de parents modestes, Pitirim Alexandrovitch Sorokin fit ses études à l’université de Saint Pétersbourg, où il se lia avec les cercles révolutionnaires de la gauche non communiste. Secrétaire …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Sorokin — Sorokin, Pitirim Aleksandrovič …   Enciclopedia Universal

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