Wissen und Organisation:: Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie und der Historikerverband

Abstract

This contribution reconstructs the histories of the two scientific disciplines Sociology and History. Drawing on their national professional associations, the authors explore the processes of academic institutionalization in both cases, though putting emphasis on the German Sociological Association (DGS). The authors identify significant differences between the histories of the DGS and the German Historical Association (VHD), which have had mayor impact on their organizational forms and functions. The institutionalization of history started already with the Enlightenment and limited the functions of the VHD mostly to the organization of annual conferences. Sociology, in contrast, was – although embedded in transnational and interdisciplinary networks – still not academically established in the German Empire. The DGS, therefore, had to assume a wide range of tasks. In their further development the profiles of both academic associations have become more equal in some aspects while perpetuating the differences in others.