Reintroducing Florian Znaniecki

This book reintroduces the work of Florian Znaniecki (1882-1958) as an innovative constructor of modern sociology who viewed the processes of modernity through the prism of culture and rediscovers his relational thought on the emergence and transformation of cultural and social systems.

Exploring the contribution of Znaniecki’s philosophy of culturalism to the cultural approach in sociology, it shows the importance of Znaniecki’s work for the foundation of sociology as one of the cultural sciences. Through an examination of his work on the world society from a cultural perspective, the author reveals Znaniecki to have been a pioneer of global sociology and shows that sociology has much to gain from a fuller appreciation of his legacy in its understanding of processes of social and cultural change.

Aimed at students and researchers of sociology, Reintroducing Florian Znaniecki will appeal to those with interests in the dynamics of culture, the cultural sciences, theoretical sociology, and sociological methods. It presents stimulating analytical concepts and offers inspiration for research in many areas, including knowledge, science, education, creative leadership, the emergence of modern nations and world society.

Elżbieta Halas is Full Professor of Humanities and Sociology at the University of Warsaw, Poland. Her interests and publications span the areas of cultural sociology, social theory and the history of ideas, including the legacy of Florian Znaniecki (she is the author of Towards the World Culture Society: Florian Znaniecki’s Culturalism).