Sociology in Belgium

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. Sociology in Belgium

   • Raf Vanderstraeten, Kaat Louckx

   Pages 1-22

3. Religion

   • Raf Vanderstraeten, Kaat Louckx

   Pages 23-58

4. Language

   • Raf Vanderstraeten, Kaat Louckx

   Pages 59-92

5. Publications

   • Raf Vanderstraeten, Kaat Louckx

   Pages 93-124

6. Epilogue

   • Raf Vanderstraeten, Kaat Louckx

   Pages 125-130

7. Back Matter

   Pages 131-133

   PDF

This book provides a historical-sociological analysis of the history of sociology in Belgium from the late-nineteenth until the early-twenty-first century. It sheds new light on the social structures that shaped and shape the orientations and work of sociologists in Belgium. The impact of three structural factors is discussed in more detail: religion, language and publication imperatives. Starting from analyses of these structural factors, this book presents a detailed analysis of the genesis and institutionalization of different sociologies in Belgium. It sheds light on the kinds of sociological knowledge that are or are not valued in Belgium. This book constitutes an important contribution to the sociological history of sociology and the development of a reflective historical sociology, and will appeal to students and scholars of social theory, as well as readers interested in the history of Contemporary Belgium.

• provincialization of sociology
• policy-directed sociology
• sociology in Belgium
• social statistics
• Adolphe Quetelet
• history of sociology
• Pillarization
• Catholic social teaching
• religious sociology
• Flemish sociology
• scientific communication
• sociological reflexivity
• Institut de Sociologie Solvay
• Société belge de Sociologie

“What has sociology been like in a small but profoundly divided nation? In their concise analysis of the Belgian case Raf Vanderstraeten and Kaat Louckx depict how this particular national tradition has been entangled in a changing international environment. From its privileged relationship to France and the Netherlands, it developed a more Anglo-American orientation, while retaining some of its most salient ties to national institutions. This is a vivid, sociological portrayal of its entire history, from Quetelet to the present.” (Johan Heilbron, author of The Rise of Social Theory and French Sociology)

“Belgium is a small country with a chequered history but, rather than treating it as no more than that, may be influenced by local historical circumstances. Those include changing political borders as well as divisions of language and religion, and the complex outcomes of their interactions. The special attention given to the system of publications further enriches the descriptive background. The strategy challenges accounts lacking in comparable range and detail, and avoids both methodological and theoretical nationalisms. This looks like a way forward for work on the history of sociology.” (Jennifer Platt, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Sussex)

• Department of Sociology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

  Raf Vanderstraeten

• Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

  Kaat Louckx

Raf Vanderstraeten is Professor and Director of the Center for Social Theory at Ghent University, Belgium. He is also affiliated with the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Finland, and the Department of Sociology of the University of Chicago, USA.


Kaat Louckx is Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology and the Morris Fishbein Center for the History of Science and Medicine, both at the University of Chicago, USA. She is also Postdoctoral Researcher in the Center for Social Theory at Ghent University, Belgium.
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