The Sociology of Crisis: Pitirim Sorokin’s Scholarly Legacy and Current Problems, Resilience, and Community

In his writings on crises, Sorokin highlighted their complexity and their multiple consequences on a personal, cultural, and social level. In this paper, crises in the 21st century are analyzed from Sorokin’s incisive perspective. The significant points include: the study of crises cannot be enclosed within the confines of individual disciplines but rather must incorporate interdisciplinary approaches. the category “crisis” does not encompass only those conditions that are the consequences of specific disastrous events such as natural disasters, wars, and terrorism but also all those phenomena that produce the conjunction of harm to human beings and social disturbances. successive crises teach us that vulnerability is on the increase, and this makes it necessary to prepare for prevention and to undertake prompt intervention at local, national, and international levels. This cannot be separated from the existence of the community, particularly the resilient community. This is one that allows for the affirmation of social commitment, respect for rights and freedoms, the balancing of needs and civic responsibilities, and the reconstruction of satisfactory relationships between individuals, and, therefore, ultimately, the avoidance of crises.