Florian Znaniecki
Florian Znaniecki | |
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Florian Witold Znaniecki (15 January 1882 – 23 March 1958) was a Polish and American
In Poland, he established the first Polish department of sociology at
Life
Childhood and education
Florian Znaniecki was born on 15 January 1882 at
He entered the
During that period, he was briefly an editor at a French-language literary magazine, Nice Illustrée (late 1904 – early 1905);[5][12] faked his own death; briefly served in the French Foreign Legion in Algeria; and worked at a flea market, on a farm, in a traveling circus,[5][12] and as a librarian at the Polish Museum in Rapperswil, Switzerland.[13]
In Switzerland he soon resumed his university studies, first at the
Early Polish career
That year he also joined the Polish Psychological Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Psychologiczne), in which he would be highly active over the next few years, becoming its vice president in 1913–1914.[18] Much of his early academic work at that time could be classified as philosophy.[19] In 1909, aged 27, he published his first academic paper, Etyka filozoficzna i nauka o wartościach moralnych ("Philosophical Ethics and the Science of Moral Values");[20] a year later he published Zagadnienie wartości w filozofii (The Question of Values in Philosophy), based on his doctoral dissertation,[5][16] and a paper, Myśl i rzeczywistosc ("Mind and Reality").[21] In 1912 he published a new book, Humanizm i Poznanie (Humanism and Knowledge), and a paper, Elementy rzeczywistości praktycznej ("Elements of Practical Reality").[21] A year later, he published an annotated translation of Henri Bergson's Creative Evolution[22] and a paper, Znaczenie rozwoju świata i człowieka ("The Meaning of World and Human Development").[23] The year 1914 saw the publication of his papers, Formy i zasady twórczości moralnej ("Forms and Principles of Moral Creativity")[24] and Zasada względności jako podstawa filozofii ("The Principle of Relativity as a Foundation of Philosophy").[20] His works, published in Polish, were well received by the Polish scholarly community and intelligentsia.[25]
Due to his past political activism, he was unable to secure a post at a major university.[26] From 1912 to 1914 he lectured at a novel women's institution of higher education, the Advanced Pedagogical Courses for Women (Wyższe Kursy Pedagogiczne dla Kobiet).[18] During his studies, he had worked at several European institutions dealing with Polish immigrants; he would build on his experiences by becoming involved with the Warsaw-based Society for the Welfare of Émigrés (Towarzystwo Opieki nad Wychodźcami), where he worked in 1910–1914.[15][16][27] By 1911 he was the Society's director and (1911–1912) editor of its journal, Wychodźca Polski (The Polish Émigré).[28] Znaniecki became an expert on Polish migration, in 1914 authoring for the government a 500-page report, Wychodźtwo Sezonowe (Seasonal Migration).[29]
Work with Thomas
A year earlier, in 1913, Znaniecki had met
Their work culminated in co-authoring of
That year Znaniecki published a new book, still mostly philosophical rather than sociological, Cultural Reality. Published in English, it was a synthesis of his philosophical thought.
Founding Polish sociology
Poland had regained independence
In 1920 Znaniecki returned to the newly established
In 1927 his department was officially renamed to "department of sociology", and in 1930 the department gained authorization to issue degrees in sociology.[47] In 1930 the Polish Institute of Sociology began publishing the first Polish sociological journal, Przegląd Socjologiczny (The Sociological Review), with Znaniecki its chief editor from 1930 to 1939.[43][48][49] That year the Institute organized Poland's first academic sociologists' conference.[50] Due to his role as founder of so many of its building blocks, Znaniecki is considered as one of the fathers of sociology in Poland.[2]
Late U.S. career
Keeping in touch with American sociologists, Znaniecki lectured as a
With help from American colleagues, Znaniecki obtained an extension of his appointment at Columbia University through mid-1940.
He was 44th President of the American Sociological Association (for 1954).[57] His presidential address, "Basic Problems of Contemporary Sociology," was delivered on 8 September 1954 at the Association's annual meeting and was later published in the American Sociological Review.[58]
He died on 23 March 1958 in Champaign, Illinois.[59] The cause of death was arteriosclerosis.[60] His funeral took place on 26 March, and he was buried at Roselawn Champaign Cemetery .[60]
Family
In 1906 Znaniecki married a fellow Polish student at the University of Geneva, Emilia Szwejkowska.[61] They had a son, poet and writer Juliusz Znaniecki, born 1908.[61] Znaniecki's wife Emilia died in 1915.[61]
Next year Znaniecki married Eileen Markley (1886–1976).[61] They had one daughter, sociologist Helena Znaniecki Lopata, born 1925.[61]
Importance
Polish sociologist and historian of ideas Jerzy Szacki writes that Znaniecki's major contributions include: the founding of sociology in Poland; his work in empirical sociology; and his work in sociological theory.[48] Szacki notes that Znaniecki sought to bridge a number of gaps: between empirical sociology and more theoretical approaches; between objectivity and subjectivity; between humanistic and naturalistic methodologies and viewpoints; and between American and European intellectual traditions.[62]
Szacki writes that, while Znaniecki's theoretical contributions were subsequently pushed into the background by
Znaniecki's most famous work remains The Polish Peasant in Europe and America (1918–1920), co-authored with
Themes
Empirical sociology
Znaniecki's contributions to empirical sociology began after, and were influenced by, his collaboration with
This work represents Znaniecki's most valued contribution to empirical sociology. Most of his other works focused on theory, the only other notable exception being Miasto w świadomości jego obywateli (The City in the Consciousness of its Citizens, 1931).[66][67]
Sociology: theory and definition
A key element of Znaniecki's sociological theory is his view of sociology in particular, and of the
Znaniecki's theories form a major part of sociology's action theory,[63] and his work is a major part of the foundation of humanistic sociology.[63] Another term connected with Znaniecki's theories is "systematic sociology" ("socjologia systematyczna").[69] He sought to create a grand sociological theory, one that would bridge the gap between empirical sociology and more theoretical approaches.[67]
Znaniecki criticized the widespread definition of sociology as the study of society.[70][71] In Znaniecki's culturalist perspective, sociology is a study of culture (though it is not the study of culture, as Znaniecki recognized that other social sciences also study culture).[2][72] His definition of sociology has been described as that of "a cultural science whose function is to study systems of social interaction based upon patterns of values and norms of behaviour, through the use of the humanistic coefficient", or more simply, "the investigation of organized, interdependent interaction among human beings."[71] The part of the culture that sociology focused on was that of social relation or interaction.[70]
Znaniecki saw culture as a field separate from nature, but also from individuals' perceptions.[2] The essence of culture is socially constructed objects.[2] He was one of the first sociologists to begin analyzing personal documents such as letters, autobiographies, diaries, and the like.[73] He considered the analysis of such documents an important part of the humanistic-coefficient method.[2]
Znaniecki saw sociology as an objective, inductive and generalizing science.
In addition to the science of sociology, Znaniecki was also deeply interested in the larger field of the
Four social systems
According to Znaniecki, sociology can be divided into the study of four dynamic social systems: social action theory, social relation theory, social actors theory, and social groups theory.[76] Znaniecki saw social actions as the foundation of a society, as they give rise to more complex social relations, and he saw this theory as the foundation of all the others.[2][76] Unlike Max Weber, he did not believe that everything can be reduced to social actions; he was also quite skeptical of any insights coming from the science of psychology, which he held in low esteem.[76]
The four major forms of cooperative interaction, or four social systems, in growing complexity, were:
- social relations (in Polish, "stosunki społeczne"): these require at least two persons and a mutual obligation; the study of social relations is the study of norms regulating social actions;[78]
- social personalities (in Polish, "osoby społeczne" or "osobowości społeczne"): the combined picture that emerges from a number of different social roles that an individual has;[79]
- social group (in Polish, "grupa społeczna"): any group which is recognized by some as a separate entity;[80] Znaniecki saw a society as a group of groups, but denied it primacy as an area that the sociologist should focus on (while at the same time recognizing that most sociologists differed on this).[81]
The four-category division described above appeared in his 1934 book, The Method of Sociology. By 1958 he had reformulated the division, and was speaking instead of social relations, social roles, social groups, and societies.[71][82]
Sociology of culture
Znaniecki coined the term "humanistic coefficient" for a method of social research by way of data analysis that emphasizes participants' perceptions of the experience being analyzed.[83] The humanistic coefficient sees all social facts as being created by social actors and as being understandable only from their perspective.[84] Thus the sociologist ought to study reality by trying to understand how others see the world, not (objectively) as an independent observer; in other words, the scientist needs to understand the subject's world.[84][85] While some have criticized this approach as being too close to subjectivism, Znaniecki himself saw it as anti-subjectivist; he observed that social facts such as cultural systems can exist even if no one perceives their existence.[86] He was also skeptical of any value coming from personal, subjective observations, arguing that such observations have value only if they can be objectively described.[87] He argued that the difference between the natural and social sciences lies not in the difference between objective and subjective experiences, but in the subject being studied: for Znaniecki, the natural sciences studied things, and the social sciences studied cultural values.[86]
Znaniecki characterized the world as being caught within two contrary modes of reflection; idealism and realism.[88][89] He proposed a third way, which he called "culturalism".[2][88][89] His culturalism was one of the founding ideas of modern antipositivist and antinaturalist sociology.[84] The term "culturalism" was introduced into English in his book, Cultural Reality (1919), and was translated into Polish as "kulturalizm"; previously Znaniecki had discussed the concept in Polish as "humanism" ("humanizm").[39]
Elżbieta Hałas has insisted on a gradual evolution of Znaniecki's sociology of culture from Cultural Reality to Cultural Sciences, his most reviewed book, which was published more than thirty years later, in 1952. By that time, Znaniecki saw the cultural order as "axionormative", a universal concept encompassing “relationships among all kind of human actions” and the corresponding values. Hałas noted that this approach put him at odds with what was the dominant approach of the sociology of culture in the 1950s, whose most authoritative exponents were Americans who regarded Znaniecki's approach as typically European and hardly applicable to the analysis of culture in the United States.[90]
Other themes
Znaniecki's work also touched on many other areas of sociology, such as intergroup conflict, urban sociology, and rural sociology.[91]
Works
Znaniecki's first academic works, of the 1910s, were more philosophical than sociological in nature; beginning in the 1920s, his works were primarily sociological.
His The Method of Sociology first introduced his concept of divisions within subfields of sociology.[44] His most notable works included two books published in the same year (1952): Modern Nationalities, and Cultural Sciences. The former is an analysis of the evolution of national-culture societies, and the latter presents a theoretical study of the relation between sociology and other sciences.[44] Znaniecki never finished his magnum opus, Systematic Sociology, which would eventually be collected and published posthumously in its unfinished but final form as Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology (1965).[44][93]
List of works
Roughly half of Znaniecki's published works are in English; the rest, in Polish.[48]
In English:
- The Polish Peasant in Europe and America (with William I. Thomas, 5 vols., 1918–1920).
- "The Principle of Relativity and Philosophical Absolutism", The Philosophical Review, vol. 24, no. 2 (March 1915), pp. 150–164.
- Cultural Reality, Chicago, 1919.
- "The Subject Matter and Tasks of the Science of Knowledge", translated by logology".)
- The Laws of Social Psychology, Warsaw, 1926.
- The Method of Sociology, New York, 1934.
- Social Actions, New York 1936.
- The Social Role of the Man of Knowledge, New York, 1940.
- Cultural Sciences: Their Origin and Development, Urbana, 1952.
- Modern Nationalities, Urbana, 1952.
- Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology, San Francisco, 1965
- On Humanistic Sociology (a selection of works edited by R. Bierstedt), Chicago, 1969.
- The Social Role of the University Student, Poznań, 1994.
In Polish:
- Zagadnienie wartości w filozofii (The Question of Value in Philosophy), Warsaw, 1910.
- Humanizm i poznanie (Humanism and Knowledge), Warsaw, 1912.
- Upadek cywilizacji zachodniej: Szkic z pogranicza filozofii kultury i socjologii (The Decline of Western Civilization: A Sketch from the Interface of Cultural Philosophy and Sociology), Poznań, 1921.
- Wstęp do socjologii (An Introduction to Sociology), Poznań, 1922.
- "Przedmiot i zadania nauki o wiedzy" ("The Subject Matter and Tasks of the Science of Knowledge"), Nauka Polska (Polish Science), vol. IV (1923), no. 1. (English translation: "The Subject Matter and Tasks of the Science of Knowledge", translated by ISBN 978-83-01-03607-2, pp. 1–81.)
- Socjologia wychowania (The Sociology of Education), Warsaw (vol. I: 1928; vol. II: 1930).
- Miasto w świadomości jego obywateli (The City in the Consciousness of Its Citizens), Poznań, 1931.
- Ludzie teraźniejsi a cywilizacja przyszłości (Contemporary People and the Civilization of the Future), Lwów, 1934.
See also
- History of philosophy in Poland
- List of Poles in social sciences
- Origins of logology (science of science)
- Sociology in Poland
References
- ^ Michał Kokowski, The Science of Science (naukoznawstwo) in Poland: Defending and Removing the Past in the Cold War. As chapter 7 in: Science Studies during the Cold War and Beyond. Paradigms Defected. Edited by Elena Aronova, Simone Turchetti. Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. “Palgrave Studies in the History of Science and Technology”, pp. 149–176. DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-55943-2_7; here p. 149: "some Polish contributors to science of science (Kazimierz Twardowski, Maria Ossowska, Stanisław Ossowski, Tadeusz Kotarbiński, Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz, Florian Znaniecki, Ludwik Fleck, Stefan Amsterdamski) have gained international recognition."
- ^ ISBN 978-83-240-0218-4.
- ^ Zygmunt Dulczewski (1986). A Commemorative Book in Honor of Florian Znaniecki on the Centenary of His Birth: Papers and Communiques Presented to International Scientific Symposium on 3–4 December 1982 at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. UAM. p. 13.
- .
- ^ a b c d e f Helena Znaniecki Lopata (January 1965). Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology. Ardent Media. p. 13. GGKEY:ZNTB80GRBQ4.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-85060-75-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
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- ^ ISBN 978-83-85060-75-8.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-85060-75-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-85060-75-8.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-0-226-08005-5.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ a b c Helena Znaniecki Lopata (January 1965). Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology. Ardent Media. p. 14. GGKEY:ZNTB80GRBQ4.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-0-226-08005-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-226-08005-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-240-0218-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Helena Znaniecki Lopata (January 1965). Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology. Ardent Media. p. 15. GGKEY:ZNTB80GRBQ4.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ "American Sociological Association: Florian Znaniecki". Asanet.org. 2009-06-09. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- ^ ASR October 1954 Vol 19 No 5, pp 519–524)
- ^ Zygmunt Dulczewski (1986). A Commemorative Book in Honor of Florian Znaniecki on the Centenary of His Birth: Papers and Communiques Presented to International Scientific Symposium on 3–4 December 1982 at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. UAM. p. 26.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-85060-36-9.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ a b c d e Helena Znaniecki Lopata (January 1965). Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology. Ardent Media. p. 16. GGKEY:ZNTB80GRBQ4.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ Helena Znaniecki Lopata (January 1965). Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology. Ardent Media. p. 19. GGKEY:ZNTB80GRBQ4.
- ^ "Polish Philosophy Page: Florian Znaniecki". Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-240-0218-4. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-631-59946-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-420-0755-0.
- ^ Elżbieta Hałas (2006), "Classical Cultural Sociology: Florian Znaniecki's Impact in a New Light", Journal of Classical Sociology, vol. 6, 257–282.
- ISBN 978-83-210-0482-2.
- ISBN 978-83-01-13844-8.
- ^ Helena Znaniecki Lopata (January 1965). Social Relations and Social Roles: The Unfinished Systematic Sociology. Ardent Media. p. 12. GGKEY:ZNTB80GRBQ4.
External links
This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (May 2023) |
- Polish Philosophy Page: Florian Znaniecki at the Wayback Machine (archived December 12, 2007)
- Short bio from American Sociological Association
- Short bio from the Oxford Dictionary of Sociology
- Florian Zaniecki Society
- Guide to the Florian Znaniecki Papers 1918–1968 at the University of Chicago
- Elżbieta Hałas, The Humanistic Approach of Florian Znaniecki, see also this article
- Aleksander Gella, Reviewed work(s): Florian Znaniecki: Zycie i Dzielo. by Zygmunt Dulczewski, in Slavic Review, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Summer, 1986), pp. 374–375 (review consists of 2 pages) JSTOR
- Helena Znaniecki-Lopata, Florian Znaniecki: Creative evolution of a sociologist
- William Thomas and Florian Znaniecki. The Polish Peasant in Europe and America. 2 vol 1920; famous classic complete 5 vol text online (public domain)
- Cultural Reality. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1919).
- The Laws of Social Psychology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (1925).
- "Group Crises Produced by Voluntary Undertakings" In K. Young (ed) Social Attitudes. New York: Henry Holt (1931): 265–290.
- "The Analysis of Social Processes." Publications of the American Sociological Society: Papers and Proceedings, Twenty-seventh Annual Meeting. XXVII (1932): 37–43.
- "William I. Thomas as a Collaborator." Sociology and Social Research 32 (1948): 765–767.
- "Intellectual America. By a European" (Florian Znaniecki, edited by W. I.Thomas)
- Photos of Znaniecki (of unknown copyright status) are available at: [1], [2], [3]