Diversification and fragmentation of Russian sociology

pp. 103-123

in: Larissa Titarenko, Elena Zdravomyslova, Sociology in Russia, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017

Abstract

Post-Soviet sociology demonstrates great variety of organizations involved in the production of sociological knowledge. Sociological diversity relates to political segmentation of organizations and their different attitudes toward the post-Soviet political system that causes other divisions. Sociology has divided into pro-government pollsters and 'service sociologists' vs. democratic and liberal sociologists producing independent expertise. Their modes of knowledge production differ, which affects the field of public sociology. In the latest years, professional conditions of non-government research institutions that receive funds from foreign organizations got significantly worse because of the law on foreign agents. Ongoing fragmentation and diversification feature the functioning of sociology in Russia.