Slovenské aspekty rozvoja sociológie v Československu

The author of the article sets out from the assumption that the historical-sociological reconstruction of the development of sociology in Slovakia in 1959-1989 has several specific features. The first is that scholars specialising in the history of sociological thought tend to focus on earlier periods in the evolution of Slovak sociology and on the study and preservation of the intellectual legacy of figures who were sidelined, not only during normalisation (1970-1989) but even before. The second feature is that the personal memories of and contributions to the study of the process of the revival and institutionalisation of Slovak sociology after 1959 are still primarily provided by participant figures. The third is the peripheral position occupied by Slovakia in the Czechoslovak state, far from the centre of political power. The historical-political factor of the relationship between the centre and the periphery, further reinforced by the rivalry between Czechoslovakism and Slovak nationalism, is pervasive, and must be taken into account if an accurate assessment is to be made of the numerous excesses of normalisation, even in the development of Czechoslovak sociology. In this article the author characterises the two stages of institutional development of sociology in Slovakia in the period of really-existing socialism: 1) re-creation and growth between early 1960's and 1968; 2) initial repression and gradual diversification between 1970 and 1989. The second stage is subdivided into three periods: a) normalisation; b) the professionalisation of sociology and the creation of its socio-technical establishment function (1975-1985); and c) the pluralisation of Slovak sociology, i.e. growing polarisation between its pro- and anti-establishment orientations (1985-1989).