A Century of Humanistic Sociology and the Biographical Method

Abstract The paper presents a synthetic résumé of the writings of Florian Znaniecki and Józef Chałasiński, with a particular focus on their most fundamental works: The Polish Peasant in Europe and America and Młode pokolenie chłopów (‘The Young Generation of Peasants’). The author analyses the theses discussed in the books, stressing their contribution to the development of sociology world-wide, particularly in terms of rural sociology and the so-called Polish Method. The article discusses theoretical approaches and methodological solutions introduced by these two scholars, while also drawing attention to changes in the reception of the two cited works.