The 18th Sociological Readings in memory of N. V. Panina and S. O. Makeiev

The Sociological Association of Ukraine, the Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine and the N. V. Panina Sociological Centre held an exceptionally interesting scholarly forum: “The 18th Sociological Readings in memory of N. V. Panina and S. O. Makeiev”

Opening the forum, its organiser and inspiration, the Director of the Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences Yevhen Golovakha, said:

“My mood is a sad one; it is psychologically hard for me. Today marks 75 years since the birth of the outstanding Ukrainian sociologist Natalia Viktorivna Panina, who was for me not only a comrade-in-arms but a life companion. And she has, sadly, not been with us for many years now. It is also the anniversary of the death of my deputy and close friend, dear to our hearts, Serhii Oleksiiovych Makeiev, whose unquestionable contribution to Ukrainian sociology we know well and value highly. So with this forum our Institute and the Sociological Association of Ukraine intend to honour worthily the memory of these powerful figures of Ukrainian sociology and to discuss the pressing problems of our discipline.

In his opening remarks the President of the Sociological Association of Ukraine, Academician Vil Bakirov, recalled that the annual Panina Readings, begun 18 years ago on Yevhen Golovakha's initiative as a way of summing up the scholarly year and held on Natalia Viktorivna's birthday, are now dedicated also to the memory of Serhii Makeiev, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, who was one of the key figures of contemporary Ukrainian sociology and whose contribution is beyond doubt and would be worthily presented today in particular.

Having wished the participants (of whom there were more than sixty) a fruitful discussion of pressing problems, both leaders of Ukrainian sociology handed the chairing of the conference to the Deputy Director of the Institute, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Sociological Sciences Serhii Dembitskyi.

Substantial papers were given at the plenary session by:

Tymofii Brik (Rector of the Kyiv School of Economics), “The creation and reproduction of social inequalities”; Serhii Dembitskyi (Deputy Director of the Institute of Sociology), “The individual well-being of Ukrainians after 1000 days of the great war”; Natalia Otrishchenko (Center for Urban History, Lviv), “Technology, the body, duration: producing sociological knowledge under war conditions”; Yurii Saveliev (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv), “Methodological problems of identifying causal relationships on the example of the beginning of the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014”.

After the plenary session new publications were presented: Volodymyr Paniotto presented the English-language edition War and the Transformation of Ukrainian Society (2022–23): Empirical Evidence (Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society), Paperback, ibidem Press, 2024 (Volodymyr Paniotto (Author), Anton Grushetsky (Author)). Serhii Dembitskyi presented the substantial yearbook “Ukrainian society under war conditions. The year 2024. — Kyiv: Institute of Sociology of the NAS of Ukraine, 2024, eds. Ye. Golovakha, S. Dembitskyi”. Olena Symonchuk, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Leading Research Fellow and head of the Department of Social Structures, presented the new volume “The sociology of Serhii Makeiev: structural orders and emergencies”, noting that the title was suggested by Yevhen Golovakha; and Volodymyr Paniotto, who among other things is keen on photography, showed a photographic chronicle of Serhii Oleksiiovych's life in which those present could see Makeiev and some other well-known Ukrainian sociologists and philosophers when they were still very young.

After the break there was a round table, “Sociologists during the war: professional challenges, practices and scenarios”. The chair, Oleksandr Stehnii, Doctor of Sociological Sciences, stimulated by his energy the engaged discussions that arose after almost every contribution. O. Bezrukova (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) raised the question of the institutionalisation of volunteering, the sociological conceptualisation of the crimes of genocide and changes in the perception of war veterans.

Her colleague V. Shelukhin spoke about theoretical reflections connected with the war. He drew attention in particular to the achievements of Ukrainian military sociology at the beginning of the 20th century, whose ideas resonate with today's research and debates about military reform.

K. Ivashchenko, who is currently in Britain and interacts actively with local researchers, raised the question of how to operationalise the notion of resilience — of individuals, communities and institutions — during war.

T. Mosiichuk (I. I. Mechnikov Odesa National University) described the difficult situation that has developed in her department during the war, when a number of the university's sociologists have left and admissions are also difficult. Even so, those who have stayed continue to work heroically amid daily shelling.

I. Nechitailo (Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs) spoke about the risks and fractures caused by the war.

A. Horbachyk (Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv) addressed the participants: “Colleagues, it is truly a wonder that we can still work, teach and conduct research during such a war. But we need the further development of theory that would help us carry out a thorough analysis of the data being collected in large quantities. War brings us down to the lower level of Maslow's pyramid — we have to survive, to hold on. We have withstood. We are working. The factor of war needs serious analysis.”

N. Chernysh and N. Kovalisko (Ivan Franko National University of Lviv) and a number of other sociologists also spoke. The discussion did not abate.

In closing, the President of the Sociological Association of Ukraine, Vil Bakirov, said: “I am struck by the high standard of our forum. We heard fundamental papers at the plenary session. The round table was very rich, lively and energetic. Different points of view were expressed, there were discussions. We saw interesting book presentations and recalled with heartfelt emotion colleagues who are no longer with us. Ukrainian sociology is not standing still; it is advancing, reaching a new level of research and of theoretical and methodological interpretation. We continue to study what contemporary Ukrainian society is during a full-scale invasion. We have no pessimism. We believe in our discipline, in our society, in our Armed Forces. Thanks to everyone, and especially to Yevhen Ivanovych, who gathers us every year on 10 December for scholarly and personal exchange.

Yevhen Golovakha summed up: “I want us to be useful to Ukraine. I thank all the participants and send words of moral support to all the colleagues who, in these incredibly difficult conditions, continue to carry the banner of Ukrainian sociology high. We shall not only survive this inhuman war. We shall win, including by preserving our state, our scholarship and our own sociology. I thank Serhii Serhiiovych Dembitskyi for his organisational help in holding this forum. Happiness and success to everyone!”

Closing the session, Serhii Dembitskyi said: “I hope that next year we shall be able to hold such a forum not only online but at the Institute, face to face.”

The readings in memory of those who, together with their colleagues, stood at the origins of Ukrainian sociology concluded successfully and demonstrated the active searching and the achievements of contemporary Ukrainian sociological science, which keeps a finger on the pulse of the times and of events.

A video recording of the event:

Watch the video on YouTube