Sociology in Poland
Encyclopedia
Sociology in Poland has been developing, as has sociology
throughout Europe
, since the mid-19th century. Polish sociology is today a vibrant science, with its own experts and currents of thought. As early as in 1917 a Polish scholar, Jan Stanisław Bystroń, wrote that Polish sociology is — as any other national sociology — a notable and separate field.
Although Poland did not exist as an independent state in the 19th century (due to the Partitions of Poland
), some Polish scholars published work that fit into the newly-created sociological thought. In the Interbellum, sociology became popularized in the Second Polish Republic
through the works of scholars such as Florian Znaniecki
. Much Polish sociology is substantially influenced by Marxism
(see Marxist sociology
). Both Marxist and Jewish sociologists, however, have been subjected to persecution at different stages in Poland's history. Zygmunt Bauman
, a Polish-born sociologist and perhaps one of the most renowned theorists working today, was forced to flee to England in 1971 due to an anti-Semitic government campaign.
The first Polish sociological text was Myśl ogólna fizjologii powszechnej (General Thought on Universal Physiology
), written and published by economist Józef Supiński
in 1860. The first Polish sociological thought reflected the currents of the early sociology and thoughts of the discipline's three founding fathers :Auguste Comte
's (positivism
), Karl Marx
's (Marxism) and theories of Émile Durkheim
. Prominent among the first Polish sociologists were Ludwik Gumplowicz, Leon Petrażycki
, Edward Abramowski
, and Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz
.
Sociology in Poland developed significantly during the interbellum period, when it came out from its niche to become a respectable, mainstream science. The first attempt to create a chair in sociology in the early 20th century in Kraków
was unsuccessful, but chairs would be created in the 1920s (in Poznań in 1920, Warsaw in 1923 and Kraków, 1930). In that period, the most notable Polish sociologist would be Florian Znaniecki
, who founded the first chair of sociology in Poland and whose influence made the University of Poznań a major Polish centre for sociology. Other Polish notable sociologists of that period include Ludwik Krzywicki
, Jan Stanisław Bystroń, Stefan Czarnowski
, and not least Bronisław Malinowski, a sociologist and anthropologist, who would gain international fame during that period. The first specialized research institutes were created around that time: The Institute of Social Economy in Warsaw (1920) headed by Krzywicki and the Institute of Sociology in Poznan (1921) headed by Znaniecki. The first sociological journals were also published in this period.
World War II interrupted the development of Polish science, as both the Nazi Germany
and the Soviet Union
, who occupied Poland
closed down Polish educational and research institutions and persecuted Polish intelligentsia, including social scientists (see Polish culture during World War II
for details). In the early period in communist Poland (the Stalinist period of 1948-1956), sociology was banned by the communist authorities as a bourgeois pseudoscience
(see also suppressed research in the Soviet Union
). Polish sociology was, however, revived following the Gomułka's Thaw in 1956, with the foundation of the Polish Sociological Association
and with Warsaw and Łódź becoming a major centers for sociological studies. Later on, Polish sociology (as all other social sciences in the communist bloc) had to deal with Marxist influence and political interference. Due to these developments, Marxist approaches were overrepresented and some studies were censored or not allowed (for example, research was restricted into political organization of society, to prevent scholars from openly advocating ideas that might have undermined the communist government). This also led to circulation of underground, illegal publications (bibuła). The notable names of the early postwar period include Stanisław Ossowski and his wife, Maria Ossowska
, Julian Hochfeld
, Józef Chałasiński and Andrzej Malewski. The rise of Nazism meant that Zygmunt Bauman
fled the University of Warsaw
to work at the University of Leeds
in the United Kingdom.
The history and thought of Polish sociology is a significant field in Poland, but most of the body of the work in that field has only been published in the Polish language
. A biographical dictionary
of Polish sociology, which had its first volume published in 2001, dealing only with scholars of surnames A to H, who had died, includes two hundred and thirteen sociologists.
Throughout its history, even during the times of partition and under the communist regime, Polish sociology was influenced by the developments of the theory in the West. Some Poles were the International Sociological Association
’s officers: Jan Szczepański
was president (1966-1970), Stanisław Ossowski vice-president (1959-1962), and Magdalena Sokołowska vice-president (1978-1982). The Polish Sociological Association
was also relatively independent. Even under the communist regime, the freedom of Polish academics seemed to have been greater than in other communist countries, and thus Polish academics often spread Western ideas among their colleagues in the East and South.
and other approaches. After the fall of communism, the Marxist approach became quickly marginalized; two major research institutions which advocated the Marxist approach to sociology - the Institute for Basic Problems of Marxism-Leninism
and the Academy for Social Sciences were closed. Marxist themes are still present in Polish sociology, but are not dominant. No single theory or ideology has replaced it, although many Polish sociologists are adherents of theoretical liberalism
. There is also a trend of a retreat from "theory as such" and from the general methodology of the social sciences. Studies into methodology of empirical research, both qualitative and quantitative, are popular.
In terms of common themes, since 1990, Polish sociologists have studied issues such as the socioeconomic transformation in Poland (related to the transformation of the Polish economy from communist to capitalist, with focus on issues such as privatization, private entrepreneurship, rise of new social classes, poverty, unemployment and corruption); the changes of political life in Poland (evolution of the new political parties, elections, public sphere); gender research; religiosity and ethnic groups.
The number of sociological books on the market has grown rapidly since 1989, with publishing houses specializing in sociology. Polish sociologists and their institutions have also increased participation in various international organizations and research programs. At the end of the 1990s, altogether, about 11,000 people majored in sociology on the BA and MA levels in both public and private schools. All major Polish universities offer degrees in sociology.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, since the mid-19th century. Polish sociology is today a vibrant science, with its own experts and currents of thought. As early as in 1917 a Polish scholar, Jan Stanisław Bystroń, wrote that Polish sociology is — as any other national sociology — a notable and separate field.
- "Is the term 'Polish sociology' justified, as science is universal and does not know state or national borders? [...] Academics of a given nationality deal with some problems more often [...] When we turn our attention to Polish sociological theories, one cannot fail to notice ... that they were evoked by other needs and other problems that a different theoretical answer than in Western science" — Jan Stanisław Bystroń, 1917
Although Poland did not exist as an independent state in the 19th century (due to the Partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
), some Polish scholars published work that fit into the newly-created sociological thought. In the Interbellum, sociology became popularized in the Second Polish Republic
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
through the works of scholars such as Florian Znaniecki
Florian Znaniecki
Florian Witold Znaniecki was a Polish sociologist. He taught and wrote in Poland and the United States. He was the 44th President of the American Sociological Association and the founder of academic sociology studies in Poland...
. Much Polish sociology is substantially influenced by Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
(see Marxist sociology
Marxist sociology
Marxist sociology refers to the conduct of sociology from a Marxist perspective. Marxism itself can be recognized as both a political philosophy and a sociology, particularly to the extent it attempts to remain scientific, systematic and objective rather than purely normative and prescriptive....
). Both Marxist and Jewish sociologists, however, have been subjected to persecution at different stages in Poland's history. Zygmunt Bauman
Zygmunt Bauman
Zygmunt Bauman is a Polish sociologist who, since 1971, has resided in England after being driven out of Poland by an anti-Semitic campaign, engineered by the Communist government which he had previously supported...
, a Polish-born sociologist and perhaps one of the most renowned theorists working today, was forced to flee to England in 1971 due to an anti-Semitic government campaign.
History
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
), written and published by economist Józef Supiński
Józef Supiński
Józef Supiński was a Polish philosopher, jurist, economist and sociologist.-Life:...
in 1860. The first Polish sociological thought reflected the currents of the early sociology and thoughts of the discipline's three founding fathers :Auguste Comte
Auguste Comte
Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte , better known as Auguste Comte , was a French philosopher, a founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism...
's (positivism
Positivism
Positivism is a a view of scientific methods and a philosophical approach, theory, or system based on the view that, in the social as well as natural sciences, sensory experiences and their logical and mathematical treatment are together the exclusive source of all worthwhile information....
), Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
's (Marxism) and theories of Émile Durkheim
Émile Durkheim
David Émile Durkheim was a French sociologist. He formally established the academic discipline and, with Karl Marx and Max Weber, is commonly cited as the principal architect of modern social science and father of sociology.Much of Durkheim's work was concerned with how societies could maintain...
. Prominent among the first Polish sociologists were Ludwik Gumplowicz, Leon Petrażycki
Leon Petrazycki
Leon Petrazycki was a Polish philosopher, legal scholar and sociologist. He is considered one of the important forerunners of the sociology of law.- Life :Leon Petrażycki was born into the Polish gentry of the Vitebsk region in the Russian Empire...
, Edward Abramowski
Edward Abramowski
Edward Abramowski was a Polish philosopher, libertarian socialist, anarchist, psychologist, ethician, and supporter of cooperatives....
, and Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz
Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz
Kazimierz Kelles-Krauz was a Polish philosopher and sociologist, member of the Polish Socialist Party. He was one of the most significant Marxist thinkers at the end of the 19th century....
.
Sociology in Poland developed significantly during the interbellum period, when it came out from its niche to become a respectable, mainstream science. The first attempt to create a chair in sociology in the early 20th century in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
was unsuccessful, but chairs would be created in the 1920s (in Poznań in 1920, Warsaw in 1923 and Kraków, 1930). In that period, the most notable Polish sociologist would be Florian Znaniecki
Florian Znaniecki
Florian Witold Znaniecki was a Polish sociologist. He taught and wrote in Poland and the United States. He was the 44th President of the American Sociological Association and the founder of academic sociology studies in Poland...
, who founded the first chair of sociology in Poland and whose influence made the University of Poznań a major Polish centre for sociology. Other Polish notable sociologists of that period include Ludwik Krzywicki
Ludwik Krzywicki
Ludwik Krzywicki was a Polish anthropologist, economist and sociologist. One of the early champions of sociology in Poland, he approached historical materialism from a sociological viewpoint...
, Jan Stanisław Bystroń, Stefan Czarnowski
Stefan Czarnowski
Stefan Czarnowski was a Polish sociologist, professor of the University of Warsaw.Member of the Polish pro-independence movements, he fought in the Polish Legions and the Polish-Soviet War. At first supporter of endecja, he gravitated towards supporting Polish Socialist Party.His works centered on...
, and not least Bronisław Malinowski, a sociologist and anthropologist, who would gain international fame during that period. The first specialized research institutes were created around that time: The Institute of Social Economy in Warsaw (1920) headed by Krzywicki and the Institute of Sociology in Poznan (1921) headed by Znaniecki. The first sociological journals were also published in this period.
World War II interrupted the development of Polish science, as both the Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, who occupied Poland
Occupation of Poland
Occupation of Poland may refer to:* Partitions of Poland * The German Government General of Warsaw and the Austrian Military Government of Lublin during World War I* Occupation of Poland during World War II...
closed down Polish educational and research institutions and persecuted Polish intelligentsia, including social scientists (see Polish culture during World War II
Polish culture during World War II
Polish culture during World War II was suppressed by the occupying powers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, both of whom were hostile to Poland's people and cultural heritage. Policies aimed at cultural genocide resulted in the deaths of thousands of scholars and artists, and the theft and...
for details). In the early period in communist Poland (the Stalinist period of 1948-1956), sociology was banned by the communist authorities as a bourgeois pseudoscience
Bourgeois pseudoscience
Bourgeois pseudoscience was a term of condemnation in the Soviet Union for certain scientific disciplines that were deemed unacceptable from an ideological point of view....
(see also suppressed research in the Soviet Union
Suppressed research in the Soviet Union
Suppressed research in the Soviet Union refers to scientific fields which were banned in the Soviet Union, usually for ideological reasons. Science and humanities were placed under a strict ideological scrutiny in the Soviet Union. All research was to be founded on the philosophy of dialectical...
). Polish sociology was, however, revived following the Gomułka's Thaw in 1956, with the foundation of the Polish Sociological Association
Polish Sociological Association
The Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne is the main professional organization of sociologists in Poland. The PTS defines its mission as "supporting the development of sociology and popularizing sociological knowledge within society".Currently the organization states to have approx...
and with Warsaw and Łódź becoming a major centers for sociological studies. Later on, Polish sociology (as all other social sciences in the communist bloc) had to deal with Marxist influence and political interference. Due to these developments, Marxist approaches were overrepresented and some studies were censored or not allowed (for example, research was restricted into political organization of society, to prevent scholars from openly advocating ideas that might have undermined the communist government). This also led to circulation of underground, illegal publications (bibuła). The notable names of the early postwar period include Stanisław Ossowski and his wife, Maria Ossowska
Maria Ossowska
Maria Ossowska was a Polish sociologist and social philosopher.-Life:...
, Julian Hochfeld
Julian Hochfeld
Julian Hochfeld was a Polish sociologist. Professor of the University of Warsaw, he is remembered as a major contributor to theories of Polish communism, Marxism and socialism. In his last years he worked for UNESCO....
, Józef Chałasiński and Andrzej Malewski. The rise of Nazism meant that Zygmunt Bauman
Zygmunt Bauman
Zygmunt Bauman is a Polish sociologist who, since 1971, has resided in England after being driven out of Poland by an anti-Semitic campaign, engineered by the Communist government which he had previously supported...
fled the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
to work at the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
in the United Kingdom.
The history and thought of Polish sociology is a significant field in Poland, but most of the body of the work in that field has only been published in the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
. A biographical dictionary
Biographical dictionary
Biographical dictionaries – a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information – have been written in many languages. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country...
of Polish sociology, which had its first volume published in 2001, dealing only with scholars of surnames A to H, who had died, includes two hundred and thirteen sociologists.
Throughout its history, even during the times of partition and under the communist regime, Polish sociology was influenced by the developments of the theory in the West. Some Poles were the International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association
International Sociological Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences...
’s officers: Jan Szczepański
Jan Szczepanski (sociologist)
Jan Szczepański was a Polish sociologist and politician. Professor of University of Łódź, its rector from 1952-1956. His works concentrated on theory of sociology, history of sociology, as well as studying of transformations of social structure...
was president (1966-1970), Stanisław Ossowski vice-president (1959-1962), and Magdalena Sokołowska vice-president (1978-1982). The Polish Sociological Association
Polish Sociological Association
The Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne is the main professional organization of sociologists in Poland. The PTS defines its mission as "supporting the development of sociology and popularizing sociological knowledge within society".Currently the organization states to have approx...
was also relatively independent. Even under the communist regime, the freedom of Polish academics seemed to have been greater than in other communist countries, and thus Polish academics often spread Western ideas among their colleagues in the East and South.
Trends
During the interbellum period, Polish sociology was most closely related to the neopositivist currents of thought. During the communist time, in addition to unavoidable stress on the Marxist approach, Polish sociologists also pursued Znaniecki's humanistic sociologyHumanistic Sociology
Humanistic sociology is a domain of sociology which originated mainly from the work of University of Chicago Polish philosopher-turned-sociologist, Florian Znaniecki. It is a methodology which treats its objects of study and its students, that is, humans, as composites of values and systems of values...
and other approaches. After the fall of communism, the Marxist approach became quickly marginalized; two major research institutions which advocated the Marxist approach to sociology - the Institute for Basic Problems of Marxism-Leninism
Institute for Basic Problems of Marxism-Leninism
The Communist Party’s Institute for Basic Problems of Marxism-Leninism was a marxist think tank of Polish United Workers' Party existing 1974-1984. In 1984 transformed into Academy of Social Sciences ....
and the Academy for Social Sciences were closed. Marxist themes are still present in Polish sociology, but are not dominant. No single theory or ideology has replaced it, although many Polish sociologists are adherents of theoretical liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
. There is also a trend of a retreat from "theory as such" and from the general methodology of the social sciences. Studies into methodology of empirical research, both qualitative and quantitative, are popular.
In terms of common themes, since 1990, Polish sociologists have studied issues such as the socioeconomic transformation in Poland (related to the transformation of the Polish economy from communist to capitalist, with focus on issues such as privatization, private entrepreneurship, rise of new social classes, poverty, unemployment and corruption); the changes of political life in Poland (evolution of the new political parties, elections, public sphere); gender research; religiosity and ethnic groups.
The number of sociological books on the market has grown rapidly since 1989, with publishing houses specializing in sociology. Polish sociologists and their institutions have also increased participation in various international organizations and research programs. At the end of the 1990s, altogether, about 11,000 people majored in sociology on the BA and MA levels in both public and private schools. All major Polish universities offer degrees in sociology.
Journals
- Archiwum Historii Filozofii i Myśli Społecznej (Archives of the History of Philosophy and of Social Thought). Published by the PANPolish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
Institute of Philosophy and Sociology. - ASK: Społeczeństwo, Badania, Metody (ASK: Society, Research, Methods). Published by the PANPolish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
Institute of Philosophy and Sociology. - Kultura i Społeczeństwo (Culture and Society). Published by the PANPolish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
Institute of Political Science and the PANPolish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
Committee on Sociology. - LUD (The People). Published by the PANPolish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
Committee on Ethnology and the Polish Ethnographic Society. - Polish Sociological Review (formerly The Polish Sociological Bulletin). Published by the Polish Sociological AssociationPolish Sociological AssociationThe Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne is the main professional organization of sociologists in Poland. The PTS defines its mission as "supporting the development of sociology and popularizing sociological knowledge within society".Currently the organization states to have approx...
. - Przegląd Socjologii Jakościowej (Qualitative Sociology Review - Polish Edition) Lodz University The Sociology of Organization & Management Department.
- Przegląd Socjologiczny (Sociological Review). Published by the Łódzki Ośrodek Socjologiczny.
- Qualitative Sociology Review (International Edition) Lodz University The Sociology of Organization & Management Department.
- Roczniki Socjologii Morskiej (Annuals of Marine Sociology). Published by the Gdansk Branch of PANPolish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
. - Roczniki Socjologii Rodziny (Annals of Family Sociology), Poznań, Adam Mickiewicz University Press.
- Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny (The Juridical, Economic and Sociological Movement). Published by Adam Mickiewicz University and The Poznan University of Economics.
- Sisyphus – Social Studies English Review of (JSTOR) Publisher: PAN?
- Studia Socjologiczne (Sociological Studies) – the PANPolish Academy of SciencesThe Polish Academy of Sciences, headquartered in Warsaw, is one of two Polish institutions having the nature of an academy of sciences.-History:...
Institute of Philosophy and Sociology and the PAN Committee on Sociology.
See also
- History of philosophy in PolandHistory of philosophy in PolandThe history of philosophy in Poland parallels the evolution of philosophy in Europe in general. Polish philosophy drew upon the broader currents of European philosophy, and in turn contributed to their growth...
- History of sociologyHistory of sociologySociology emerged from enlightenment thought, shortly after the French Revolution, as a positivist science of society. Its genesis owed to various key movements in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of knowledge. Social analysis in a broader sense, however, has origins in the common stock...
- Polish Congress of Sociology
- Polish Sociological AssociationPolish Sociological AssociationThe Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne is the main professional organization of sociologists in Poland. The PTS defines its mission as "supporting the development of sociology and popularizing sociological knowledge within society".Currently the organization states to have approx...
- Polish sociologists
- List of Poles (social sciences)
External links
- Polish Sociological Review at CEEOL
- Qualitative Sociology Review journal
- Przegląd Sociologii Jakościowej
- The 50th Anniversary of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology Polish Academy of Sciences Instytuty i wydziały socjologii w Polsce - adresy i adresy stron www [Institutes and departments of sociology in Poland - addresses and webpages] as lssted by PAN (Polish Academy of Sciences)
Further reading
- Theodore Abel, Sociology in Postwar Poland, (article consists of 3 pages), JSTOR
- Piotr Gliński, Polish Sociology and the Polish Sociological Association Anno Domiuni 2007, http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?07PLAAAA03376939 http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/issuedetails.aspx?issueid=43d2d334-38df-4bc7-a9c5-0d1630ba7f7d&articleId=5b58373d-346e-4c0c-a667-6b9ac5d75fa2, Studia Socjologiczne (Sociological Studies) year: 2007, vol: , number: 4(187), pages: 11-30
- Michael D. Kennedy, Poland in the American Sociological Imagination
- Krzysztof T. Konecki, Anna M. Kacperczyk & Lukasz T. Marciniak, Polish Qualitative Sociology: The General Features and Development, Forum: Qualitative Social Research, Volume 6, No. 3, Art. 27 – September 2005
- Zbigniew Krawczyk, Kazimierz Z. Sowa, Socjologia W Polsce [Sociology in Poland], WSP Rzeszów, 1998, ISBN 8387288977
- Hieronim Kubiak, Hopes, Illusions and Deceptions: Half a Century of Political Sociology in Poland, Current Sociology, Vol. 44, No. 3, 21-39 (1996)
- J. Kurzewska, Polish Sociology - from 'October' to 'June' (1956-1989), http://cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?07CZAAAA03096378, Sociologicky casopis. Czech Sociological Review year: 2005, vol: 41, number: 4, pages: 641-658
- Władysław Kwaśniewicz, Dialectics of Systemic Constraints and Academic Freedom: Polish Sociology under Socialist Regime, pp. 25–38 in Mike F. Keen and Janusz Mucha (eds) Eastern Europe in Transformation: The Impact on Sociology. 1994. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
- Bogdan W. Mach and Wlodzimierz Wesolowski, Professionalism Again: Polish Sociology in the Late '90s, Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 26, No. 5 (Sep., 1997), pp. 559–563 (article consists of 5 pages), JSTOR
- Mucha, Janusz, Polish Sociology 1990–2000: Society after a Breakthrough, Sociology in Evolution, pp. 117–32 in Mike F. Keen and Janusz Mucha (eds) Sociology in Central and Eastern Europe: Transformations at the Dawn of a New Millennium (2003). Westport, CT and London: Praeger.
- Janusz Mucha, Polska socjologia współczesna
- Edmund Mokrzycki, From Social Knowledge To Social Research the Case of Polish Sociology, Acta Sociologica, Vol. 17, No. 1, 48-54 (1974) Michał Piotrowski, Nauczanie socjologii w Polsce [Teaching of sociology in Poland], racjonalista.pl
- Antoni Sułek and Nina Kraśko, The Multifarious and Changing Functions of the Polish Sociological Association, International Sociology, Vol. 17, No. 2, 213-231 (2002) Katarzyna M. Staszyńska, Historia badań: Polska socjologia powojenna [History of Studies: Polish post-war sociology], brief.pl, 37/10/2002
- Piotr SztompkaPiotr SztompkaPiotr Sztompka is professor of Sociology at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, and visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles....
(ed.), Masters of Polish Sociology, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1984, Review - Jerzy SzackiJerzy SzackiJerzy Ryszard Szacki is a Polish sociologist and historian of ideas, and emeritus professor of the University of Warsaw....
(ed.), Sto lat socjologii polskiej: od Supińskiego do Szczepańskiego [One hundred years of Polish sociology: From Supiński to Szczepański]. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. ISBN 83-01-11787-7 - Jerzy Szacki, Historia myśli socjologicznej [History of Sociological Thought]. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. ISBN 83-01-02014-8 (new edition 2002, ISBN 83-01-13844-0 Szafraniec Krystyna, Wincławski Włodzimierz, Socjologia w szkołach wyższych w Polsce, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika, 2003, ISBN 9788323115625
- Jan Szcepański, Empirical Sociology in Poland, 1968?, review of (JSTOR)
- Z. Walaszek, Recent Developments in Polish Sociology, Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 3: 331-362 (Volume publication date August 1977), http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.so.03.080177.001555
- Barbara Wejnert, "Family Studies and Politics: The Case of Polish Sociology" in Marriage and Family Review, no. 3/4, Vol. I, Part 2: 233-259 (1996)
- Berenika M. Wincławska, Polish Sociology Citation Index (principles for creation and the first results), Scientometrics, Volume 35, Number 3 / March, 1996, p. 387-391 Wincławski, Włodzimierz. Słownik biograficzny socjologii polskiej [Biographical dictionary of Polish sociology], Vol. 1: A–H. 2001. Warsaw: PWN.
- Eileen Markley Znaniecka, Sociology in Poland, American Sociological Review, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Apr., 1936), pp. 296–298 , JSTOR