Research note: The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on scientific work in German sociology

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific work is highly affected by the governments’ measures taken to reduce the spread of the virus. With closing colleges, universities, and kindergartens, scientists had to adapt to new forms of working procedures. Immediately after the peak of the first COVID-19 wave in Germany, we surveyed in professors and postdoctoral researchers in the field of German sociology in May 2020 to investigate how their work is constrained by these measures. In this research note, we present the results of this survey. They show that the position in the sociological field as well as demographic factors affect the degree to which sociologists feel constrained in their work. Postdoctoral sociologists feel more restricted in their work than professors, and qualitatively working sociologists more restricted than quantitatively working sociologists. Moreover, being a woman and having children under the age of 14 years increases the probability that sociologists expect to research less. Our empirical results shed some light on the effect of COVID-19 measures on working routines and inequality in Higher Education during the pandemic.

The concept of rationality in the sociology of Max Weber and its impact on modern social sciences

The paper analyzes Max Weber’s concepts of rationality and rationalization as components of modernization processes in modern society. The author reconstructs Weber’s interpretation of “spiritual factors” of social development, which emerge in the ethos of Protestantism. The research demonstrates how Weber’s study of capitalism in terms of rationality corresponds with concepts of other classics of German sociology, such as Ferdinand Tönnies, Werner Sombart, Georg Simmel and others. The article emphasizes the relevance of Weber’s sociology for XX— XXI centuries and how its basic concepts and methodological approaches have been further developed by scholars, including Ukrainian ones. Weber’s concept of rationality is applicable not only to the mental-epistemological sphere, it also acquires a social meaning. This approach has gained recognition in phenomenological sociology, theory of social systems, communicative theory and more. In addition to the formal rationality of the economy, modern social sciences use such concepts as social, aesthetic, ethical, environmental, and practical rationality. Weber’s “diagnosis of the age” is still a component of the “diagnosis” of modern society. The gap between values and interests remains an integral feature of the “risks and threats society” in the XXI century. This situation is especially evident in international relations, when “real politics” (Realpolitik), based on interests, becomes insensitive to “value postulates”. The author also discovers ways of value (moral and ethical) reclamation of modern society, particularly in the concepts of “ethical economy”, universalist ethics of discourse, global ethos and more. Keywords: purposive rationality, rationality (formal, material, communicative, systemic), value, ethos.

The Sociology of Sport in Germany: Development and Recent Trends

As a reply to a contribution informing about the situation in Spanish sociology of sport (Sánchez-García, Moscoso-Sánchez and Piedra 2020), we give an overview on the development and recent trends of the sociology of sport in Germany. We start with a historical account of its institutionalization, and then follow up with an overview of established research topics and theoretical perspectives. For that, we draw on established German textbooks and introductions to the sociology of sport. Afterwards, regarding more recent trends, we focus on the development of the journal “Sport und Gesellschaft – Sport and Society”. Finally, we describe how the sociology of sport within German sociology relates to the sociology of sport within sport sciences. We conclude our contribution by comparing developments in Spain and Germany, in order to identify similar international challenges for the sociology of sports and its journals.

Organizations are people: reflections, obstacles and learning opportunities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to place the idea of the learning organization in a historical, multidisciplinary context with the aim of identifying obstacles and opportunities for its greater realization in practice. Design/methodology/approach Marking the 30th anniversary of publication of Peter Senge's “The Fifth Discipline”, the paper reflects on approaches to the study and analysis of organizations over the past century from German sociology, human relations, organization development, the learning organization to responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings It is suggested that distributed leadership is critical to the realization of organizational learning and its absence is a major inhibitor of such learning. Following Argyris, it is argued that high levels of skill (personal mastery) may, in some circumstances, provide a barrier to organizational learning in the face of contextual uncertainty and change. Research limitations/implications While no specific areas of research are proposed, questions are raised which may only be answered in the wake of appropriate (interdisciplinary) research. Practical implications The reflective nature of the paper suggests that significant reform is required in the legislation that encourages short-term thinking on the part of institutional investors to the detriment of strategic thinking and long-term planning. Social implications The Covid-19 pandemic seems to have provided an opportunity to redress a perceived imbalance between traditional organizational thinking and opportunities demonstrated by effective community action, for reappraisal of organizations as communities of people as well as being formalized structures, systems and processes. Originality/value This paper seeks to synthesize diverse theories of organization with the aim of stimulating further innovation in approaches to organizational learning.

German sociological thought

The book presents the history and theory of German sociology (XX- beginning of XXI). German sociological thought is summarized in ten chapters, in which the thinkers who have made a significant contribution to the formation and development of basic sociological knowledge are examined. Emphasis is made on the separation of sociological knowledge, the methodology of sociological cognition, the conceptualization of the subject of science, the perception of sociology The work is intended for professionals, students and all those interested in studying the history, theory and methodology of sociology.