Social Theory and Sociological Research

"If the Indiana Jones movies were true, the main character would spend 70% of his time in the library, and 30% would be devoted to expeditions.’ This thought, which I first heard from Teodor Shanin, accurately reflects the researcher's position. We find questions in theoretical texts and address them in the empirical world. A sociologist is always an adventurer and any good adventure begins with reading. It has been twenty years since I heard this thought from Teodor. In that time, I have traveled to more than seventy countries, conducted about one hundred research projects, and written five books. Through my own experience, I have become convinced that Shanin was completely right. In addition, I was dean of the university that bears his name for thirteen years. So today I want to add a few of my own to his words: any research adventure begins with reading together. Science is a collective endeavor. Sociology is a language. Language is learned through texts. This is what we will be doing in our educational program."