Sociological education in Belarus: History and the present time*

Abstract

As has happened more than once in history, today education again needs a clear direction for its development. The whirlwinds of change calmed down, and it became obvious that a lot of good things had been lost: education is essentially conservative, and this is its great advantage. Education shows a path to eternal truths, to understanding the laws of evolution and the world of the mind. The university in this sense is not a place of services, bargain, purchase or sale, it is a temple of science and truth, which by definition cannot be widespread. The university lives its own life but in connection with the state, its history, national traditions and values. The article considers the problems of the transformation of sociological education and institutionalization of sociology in Belarus. The teaching of sociological disciplines began with the opening of the Belarusian State University (BSU) in 1921. Professor S.Z. Katzenbogen became the first teacher of sociological disciplines and the head of the department of sociology and primitive culture. This was followed by a more than a thirty-year forced break due to the removal of sociology from the curriculum, repressions of the 1930s, the Great Patriotic War and post-war reconstruction. The revival of sociology began in the 1960s with the efforts of G.P. Davidyuk and E.M. Babosov. Sociological departments were opened at the Academy of Sciences and leading universities; sociology became one of the main sources of knowledge about the contemporary society and social well-being. Despite all difficulties and obstacles, sociology has become in demand under the current uncertainty, global instability and social turbulence. However, the ignorance of national experience and educational traditions and mechanical borrowing of foreign practices is unacceptable and leads to stagnation.