“In the joint comparative studies, there is much we can learn from each other”[«В Совместных Сравнительных Исследованиях Мы Еще Многому Научимся Друг У Друга»]

In the autobiographical interview, Sergio Schneider, a leading Brazilian sociologist in the field of sociology of rural development and professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, reconstructs his scientific career and considers dramatic changes in the life of rural and urban communities of Brazil in the late 20th — early 21st century. In particular, the interview focuses on the development of rural sociology in Brazil, its in- stitutionalization, and research interests of those Brazilian social scientists that deter- mined the development of rural sociology and were the teachers of Sergio Schneider. The development of rural sociology in Brazil is presented as influenced by the German, French, American and English historical-sociological traditions of the study of the agrar- ian question and interaction of the city and the village. The interview emphasizes the significance of A.V. Chayanov’s intellectual heritage for the worldview of Sergio Schnei- der and Brazilian rural sociology in general. Sergio Schneider stresses the importance of his personal activist position that has always helped him in the search for interac- tion between politics and science. In conclusion, he raises the question of the develop- ment of comparative Brazil-Russian-Chinese rural-urban studies, in which he current- ly participates.