Sociology in Greece: Its History and Development

This Palgrave Pivot provides a concise history of the development of sociology in Greece. It provides a compelling narrative of the discipline’s embryonic state, its promising beginnings that aligned with its contact with the then robust French and German accomplishments in sociology. It continues with sociology’s entanglement with modern Greece’s turbulent history during the Civil War and the junta years. It charts Greece's gradual recovery during the mid-1970s, which led to sociology’s institutionalization. Yet such institutional boom was not free of politicization processes, many of which proved residual and resilient, stemming from the dictatorship years, as well as from Greece’s dependency during its process of modernization. This book completes this historical account by reconsidering sociology’s gradual embrace of a multi-paradigmatic orientation, its opportunities in light of the burgeoning Greek EU membership and extroversion. It concludes with charting sociology’s position in the 21st century, facing challenges like the Great Recession and its impact in Greece as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.