Historical Sociology in Russia

reflected in the respective section of the Sociological studies journal. After noting the potentialities
of the discipline, the author summarizes the overall output of the 20 years’ long existence of this
section. The basic preoccupation in the initial phase of the section’s existence was to get – and
convey to readers – a clear understanding of the essence and functions of contemporary historical
sociology (HS in the text below), to introduce its potentialities to the Russian sociologist audience.
However, even today there are few regular contributors, authors tend to delve into minor issues,
and even resort to long surpassed views on the discipline. A most urgent issue for Russian historical
sociology today is, according to the author, to draw lessons from Russia’s recent centuries to
understand the essence of Russia’s present as it is penetrated by its past: “Men make their own history,
but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances,
but under the circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past. The tradition
of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living” (К. Маrx). This is the
essence of the enigmas to be deciphered by historical sociologists. The author formulates some
such enigmas (like the proverbial Russian rake repeatedly stepped-upon) observable in recent (as
well as earlier) events in the country.