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SOCIOLOGICAL PRACTICE 43

FROM SOCIOTECHNICS TO Multidimensional Sociology, Podgórecki and
SOCIOLOGICAL PRACTICE Los (1979) profiled a sociology that com-
bined various theoretical perspectives and
In 1966, the Polish sociologist Adam Podgórecki levels of analysis referring to systems theory,
set out to develop sociotechnics as an applied functionalism, structuralism, historical mate-
social science that was non-ideological, but rialism, critical sociology, hermeneutic soci-
would have the capability of unmasking the ology, phenomenology, ethnomethodology,
Communist regime’s social engineering strata- and symbolic interactionism. The scientific
gems (Alexander and Schmidt, 1996). In the interest that legitimized this rather eclectic
1970s he went on by developing the ISA approach was the pragmatic aim of develop-
Research Committee 26 on Sociotechnics. ing a useful tradition of applied sociology
Within the newsletter of this research commit- which combined different contributions to the
tee from 1978 to 1990, discussion aimed at sociological understanding of social realities
developing and promoting a paradigm for with an instrument for recommendations,
sociotechnics which could serve as an alterna- interventions and active involvement. This
tive to top-down social engineering traditions. multidimensional sociology represented a
Sociotechnics, as a key concept, was then multileveled methodological and conceptual
sometimes used to label concrete forms of framework designed to help researchers ‘to
social intervention (mostly in a political con- grasp more comprehensively the variety of
text) and sometimes to label an academic dis- faces of social reality’ (Podgórecki and Los,
cipline studying different forms of social 1979: 332). The authors emphasized the
practice and governmental strategies importance of scrutinizing ideological dimen-
(Alexander and Schmidt, 1996). The point sions of various contemporary sociological
seems to be that it is both: thus, it is an analytic traditions by studying the social conditions
discipline producing results in the form of surrounding their development, success and
recommendations. Sociotechnics was distin- failure in particular socio-political contexts.
guished from earlier traditions of social engi- They believed that through this awareness and
neering, though it still referred to the same idea reflexive multidimensionality, their proposed
of supporting rational choice in political approach would resist “ideological appropria-
processes and social practice (Podgórecki and tion by one group or one type of political
Schmidt, 1977a, pp: 4–13; 1977b, pp: 13–28). system. It would actually pose problems for
any group looking for one-sided yet ‘convinc-
One may understand ‘sociotechnics’ as an applied ing’ ideas in order to elevate their political
social science that may be defined as the set of
methods of engineering social action. It provides programmes to [the] status of ‘science’” (Los,
intended social aims and goals with elaborations 1979: 136). Later contributions to the overall
of frames of references as well as effective ways paradigm of sociological practice have had the
and means for their realization, relying in its oper- same quest for a multidimensional approach
ation solely on verified or verifiable propositions (Fritz, 1991; Turner, 2001).
that describe and explain relevant social behaviour
(Podgórecki and Schmidt, 1977a: 8). Podgórecki’s concept of sociotechnics built
on Popper’s (1957) distinction between, on
In its ambition to be both a critical disci- the one hand, utopian social engineering that
pline analyzing contemporary social policy, was driven by an elusive vision of the ideal
legislation, mass media, management, etc. society and was bound to have disastrous con-
and, at the same time, a practical one produc- sequences, and, on the other hand, piecemeal
ing concepts and guidelines for social prac- social engineering, which proceeded by iden-
tice, action and development, sociotechnics tifying social evils and responding to these by
was supposed to tap many different sources cautious, reversible reform. It took the form of
of sociological theory. In their book, an elaborate framework of consecutive steps,