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TIMELINES March 2005 E-Newsletter Number 2 Section on the History of Sociology TIMELINES March 2005 E-Newsletter Number 2 Part II WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY? Inside this issue: Susan Hoecker-Drysdale This is a continuation of the etc? The third question is: What is Announcements 2 article in Volume 1, Issue 1, of our the history of sociology? What new online version of Timelines. constitutes the actual (if such) HOS Web Site 3 The comments and issues raised historical narrative of its are meant to provoke thought and development internationally and in Chair’s Comments 4 discussion about our interests and America, specifically? Is it the goals as sociologists who regard history of theories, of empirical Biography Project 5 the history of the discipline to be studies, of concepts, of schools, of JHS Archives critical to our sociological individuals, of time periods, stages 5 understanding. of development, etc.? The Member 5 Previously, we had considered, approaches and perspectives are Publications however briefly, the question of many. Albion Small himself takes Centennial 7 what constitutes the history of as his reference the developments Bibliography sociology, that is, of what we in economics and political science Items of Interest 8 understand the history of sociology in Germany to show the emergence to consist. What are the critical of schools and the movement of HOS 2005-06 9 data? In other words, the history of economic theory towards sociology Council Nominee what? What history, whose history, (Small, 1924). Sociology, he Profiles are we tracking? Secondly, we asserts, is merely one of the latest Section Officer & took up the question, what is the articulations of a growing self- 13 Committee history of sociology? Here we consciousness and self-expression Information suggest that its history goes by “the great body of students of beyond formal structures, human experience.”(324) And he personnel and various indexes shows how the formal organization such as publications, to include of sociology was linked to similar ASA Centennial inquiries as to why sociology structures in the disciplines of Meeting developed in particular manner, history and economics. Early who was involved, who was American sociology, he says, Aug. 13-16, 2005 marginalized or excluded, what reflected not so much the desire to were the conflicts and tensions, continue the social scientific Philadelphia, PA (Continued on Page 3) HOS SECTION MAKES HISTORY Philadelphia. While there will also be a commemorative Anthony J. Blasi, Tennessee State volume sponsored by the ASA, the History of Sociology University Section voted at its business meeting in 2003 to have historical essays collected together in its own volume, Next August, a new volume of emphasizing the perspectives of women, minorities, and histories of sociology, sponsored by neglected approaches in the discipline. A number of the Section, will be launched at the fortuitous developments coincided. Brill Academic ASA centennial meeting in Continued on Page 7 March 2005 E-Newsletter Number 2 Page 2 Distinguished Scholarly Book Award This award honors letter of nomination. Self- 68502 ([email protected] - write sociologists who have made nominations are welcome if ASA HOS Book Award Inquiry in significant contributions to the accompanied by a letter of the e-mail subject line) before History of Sociology by writing support from another March 31, 2005. Members of the books on the 'cutting edge' of member of the ASA. To current Distinguished Scholarly sociological inquiry. nominate a book send two Book Committee are ineligible Monographs and edited copies of the book and two for the award. scholarly works published in copies of a letter 2003, 2004, or 2005 are highlighting the book's eligible for consideration. The significant contributions to book's author(s) or editor(s) the History of Sociology to must be sociologists. All Committee Chair, Dr. books submitted for Michael Hill, Sociological consideration should be Inquiry, 2701 Sewell Street, accompanied by a Lincoln, NE ASA Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award Read any good books lately? The Selection Committee for the invites you to nominate outstanding books published in calendar years 2003, 2004 or 2005 as candidates for this award. Nominations should include the name of the author, title of the book, and a statement about why the book should be considered for this award. Send nominations to ASA by e-mail at [email protected] or by regular mail to: American Sociological Association ATTN: Distinguished Scholarly Publication Award 1307 New York Avenue, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 Nominations must be received by April 1, 2005. Further information on this and other ASA awards may be found online at http://www.asanet.org/members/2005awardnom.html Coming Events The Harriet Martineau as possible. To propose a Sociological Society’s Third paper and/or request further International Working information, please contact Seminar will convene May Seminar Co-Organizer, 23-25, 2005, at Mammoth Michael R. Hill, 2701 Sewell Cave National Park, Street, Lincoln, NE 68502. Kentucky. This invitation is E-mail: [email protected] extended primarily to Previous HMSS Working scholars actively working on Seminars have been held at Martineau’s sociological, Mackinac Island, Michigan, philosophical, and/or literary in 1997 and in Ambleside, contributions. Space is England, in 2002. Harriet Martineau limited. Please apply as soon March 2005 E-Newsletter Number 2 Page 3 History of Sociology Section Web Site Wants You! Hi. This is to solicit materials and ideas various versions in social theory, connections for the History of Sociology section website. with socialism, social work, academic disciplines, Have a look at what we've done so far if social movements, etc. Extending this, I can you've got time, at imagine a range of data collection efforts where www.mtholyoke.edu/go/hos. people could post information (Wikipedia style). I We already have some of the section's guess I have a busy imagination! historical materials posted but we are very Of course, all this involves a lot of work. I think interested in any more materials that are Mikaila Arthur at NYU should be credited with deep in the file structures of our member's really getting this thing off the ground. From here, computers! we're happy to co-ordinate efforts and would be There is also a lot more that could be done delighted to link with anyone else who wants to on the website depending on everyone's participate in the website. Just let me know by interest and energy levels. For example, I emailing Eleanor Townsley at can imagine a section on new books with [email protected]. brief reviews. I can imagine links to archives that members were working on with brief abstracts describing sources of possible interest. For the ASA, I can imagine an effort to describe section histories where a lot of the intellectual action is these days. I can imagine archiving syllabuses (or parts of www.mtholyoke.edu/go/hos syllabuses) on the history of sociology and its Part II WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY? Continued from Page 1 practices already established, but rather to search for new and radically different ways to explore and understand human social life, a kind of rejection of traditionally accepted explanations. Small uses the example of Lester Ward’s dynamic sociology, as a case in point. “It was as though a duplicate of the Tower of London had been created in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. Dynamic Sociology affected the few who valued it most highly [including Small himself]…but the currents of the world’s thought were already moving so fast that its leadership was bound presently to be overtaken and passed.” (342) Ultimately, for Small the scientific specialist is constituted by procedure or method, rather than by subject matter, even though he is quick to add that sociology does not have a unique and complete interpretation of human experience, but rather something to offer in its research approaches which adds to this knowledge. (350-1) In response to the third question, what is the history of sociology?, there have been many answers. Harry Elmer Barnes’s classic edited compendium, An Introduction to the History of Sociology (1948) …views the question through the sociologies of individuals who were pioneers (Comte, Spencer, Morgan, Sumner, Ward, Gumplowicz, German sociologists, non-German Europeans, English and finally Americans). J.H. Abraham in The Origins and Growth of Sociology (1973, 1977) similarly looks at individual figures, but through periodization from Plato and Ibn Khaldun to 20th century America and modern Europe. Heinz Maus in A Short History of Sociology (1966) examines the history of sociology internationally from the 19th century to modern times. In analytical chapters Maus considers how “American Sociology Faces Reality” and “American Sociological Theory and Teaching,” in which he discusses the impact of the work of Park and Burgess, Thomas and Znaniecki, and Park, as well as the influence of cultural anthropology on Continued on Page 5 March 2005 E-Newsletter Number 2 Page 4 Chair’s Comments The meetings of the American Sociological Association, August 13-16, 2005, in Philadelphia will constitute the Centennial Meetings of that Association. To celebrate its founding, ASA is planning numerous events and sessions of great interest, including approximately 20 special Centennial sessions, four of which are being organized and chaired by members Susan Hoecker-Drysdale of the History of Sociology Section. These (1) the volume
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