Society as a Common Object of Research in Sociology and History

Abstract

The paper analyzes mutual relationships between history and sociology. The author considers also the differences and similarities which occur between them. Both sociology and history deal with the life of social man. Now if we take into consideration the element of time in which the research object is placed, then history deals with the history of social man, whereas sociology with modern times.

If we put to the foreground the specific character of the material and formal object of history and sociology, then it turns out that these two sciences have more in common than there are differences. This does not have to mean that we shall have socio-history in the future as one science. The fact is however, that research workshops of many historians come close to the workshops of sociologists. It is also the other way round: many sociologists take up the social problematics from the past. At present it is most apparent in historical sociology pursued by English and American socio-historical School (Ch. Tilly, E. Wallerstein, T. Stockpol, B. Moore). The mutual interpenetration of historical and sociological perspectives in the research on society has long tradition, especially in Polish science.