A presentation of books on creative sociology

The House of Cinema successfully hosted a presentation of books by the leading Ukrainian sociologists Yevhen Golovakha (“Alternative sociology: a dictionary for unofficial use”, Dukh i Litera, 2024) and Volodymyr Paniotto (“Sociology in anecdotes”, Dukh i Litera, 2022). The meeting was moderated by the well-known film figure and former head of the National Union of Cinematographers of Ukraine Serhii Trymbach, who introduced both the books and both authors to the audience in detail and with approval. Judging by the reaction of the audience, which filled the hall, the authors were well known to them and well liked.

Yevhen Golovakha, who despite his strictly scholarly work has long written short literary texts and aphorisms in a playful, ironic style, revealed some of the secrets of his workshop, recalled when and how he became fascinated with composing terse aphoristic sayings, and read out some of them, which drew unanimous laughter from those present.

Volodymyr Paniotto, who was away on business at the time, addressed those present with a video greeting. He characterised his own collection as a book for everyone, and the work of Yevhen Golovakha, to which Paniotto wrote the afterword, as a book for intellectuals, because to understand it one has to know sociology well. Moreover, Golovakha invents his own aphorisms and anecdotes, whereas he, Paniotto, collects them. He recalled that many years ago he ran a column called “Sociological humour” and noticed that some anecdotes depict a particular situation concisely and aptly where strictly scholarly language would need a long and tedious description. Anecdotes, moreover, can thematically be assigned to many branches and problems of sociology. Take, for instance, the anecdote about the control group: a man has twins. The priest says to him: “Bring them both and we shall baptise them.” To which the father replies: “No, I shall bring one. Let the second be the control group.”

Having laughed at this prudent sociologist-father, we are glad to note that neither of the two esteemed authors — Yevhen Golovakha and Volodymyr Paniotto — needs a “control group”, since both are living their creative lives successfully, both are leaders of Ukrainian sociology, well known in Ukraine and far beyond it. Combining scholarly and artistic thinking, they have for many years creatively devised and successfully realised numerous projects. Two of them — literary in form and scholarly in content — were the subject of this cheerful and serious presentation.

Both books can be bought on the website of the publisher Dukh i Litera and, with luck, with the authors' autographs.

In the photograph: a moment from the presentation.