From Military Sociology to Sociology of Security? —the Development of Sociological Reflection on the Military in Poland

The article presents the birth and development of military sociology in Poland. It discusses changes in the identity dimension of a subdiscipline which were determined by historical, social and political contexts and the ideology dominant in a particular period of time and which contributed to shaping of Polish model of military sociology differs from the ones of Western Europe and the United States of America. The paper demonstrates the history of development of a subdiscipline in Poland can be divided into a few defined periods: 1) 1957–1968—the creation and institutionalization of a subdiscipline; 2) 1969–1989—the development of a subdiscipline exclusively within the military organization; 3) since 1990 until present—the birth of new paradigms. The study ends with an attempt to answer the question regarding to the future development of this area of knowledge on the grounds of sociological thought.