Social Thought in Totalitarian Societies of Soviet Russia and Imperial Japan
Abstract
This article delves into the intricate and eventful evolutions of social thought development in Russia and Japan. During the first half of the previous century, both nations embarked on paths as totalitarian societies where sociology was viewed as bourgeois science. By the late 1920s, sociological inquiries in Soviet Russia ceased, and the term «sociology» fell out of use, being replaced by historical materialism, political economy and scientific communism. Meanwhile, in Japan during the onset of the Showa period (1926-1989), sociology underwent diversification, giving rise to new trends. Japanese materialism gained prominence in the early 20th century, spawning a cadre of fervent Marxists and materialists whose doctrines drew from European philosophy, including Russian Marxist-Leninist principles.
This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the evolution of sociology in the totalitarian regimes of Soviet Russia and Imperial Japan, examining how the unique social and political contexts in each nation shaped the distinct paths taken by sociology in these societies.
Home Country
Russian Federation
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Specialization
Sociology
Faculty Sponsor
Steven Turner
Poster
Presentation Type
Event
Social Thought in Totalitarian Societies of Soviet Russia and Imperial Japan
This article delves into the intricate and eventful evolutions of social thought development in Russia and Japan. During the first half of the previous century, both nations embarked on paths as totalitarian societies where sociology was viewed as bourgeois science. By the late 1920s, sociological inquiries in Soviet Russia ceased, and the term «sociology» fell out of use, being replaced by historical materialism, political economy and scientific communism. Meanwhile, in Japan during the onset of the Showa period (1926-1989), sociology underwent diversification, giving rise to new trends. Japanese materialism gained prominence in the early 20th century, spawning a cadre of fervent Marxists and materialists whose doctrines drew from European philosophy, including Russian Marxist-Leninist principles.
This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the evolution of sociology in the totalitarian regimes of Soviet Russia and Imperial Japan, examining how the unique social and political contexts in each nation shaped the distinct paths taken by sociology in these societies.
