Abstract
The article presents the history of the formation and problems of sociological studies of young workers conducted at the Institute of Economics of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the 1960s and 1970s under the guidance of Professor L.N. Kogan. These studies were based on theoretical ideas that economic relations and their corresponding socio-economic behavior should be studied as a two–pronged process – the economization of all social life, on the one hand, and the socialization of economic life, on the other. The main results of research on generational succession in labor, working dynasties as a factor of reproduction of working professions, social problems of labor collectives and workers' dormitories are summarized. The formation of scientific traditions of Ural sociology is shown, conclusions are drawn about the prospects of its development in recent years, including the study of the process of professional socialization of young people within the framework of four main institutional formations: parent family, school, university, enterprise.