Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin, born on January 23, 1889, in the village of Tur'ya in the Yaren district of Vologda province and died on February 10, 1968, in Winchester, Massachusetts, USA, was a renowned Russian and American sociologist and cultural scholar. He became one of the founders of theories of social stratification and mobility.

On May 26, 1917, Sorokin married Elena Petrovna Baratynskaya, whom he met in 1912 at literary evenings hosted by K. F. Zhakov. Elena, the daughter of a nobleman from the Taurida province, graduated from the Bestuzhev Courses and was a botanist-cytologist. The couple had two sons, Pyotr and Sergey.

By the decision of the GPU Collegium on September 26, 1922, Sorokin was expelled from Petrograd to abroad by train, becoming one of those later referred to as participants of the "philosophical steamboat." He signed an obligation not to return to Russia under the threat of death.

Sorokin lived in Prague, and in October 1923, he was invited to the USA, where he lectured on the history of the Russian Revolution at various colleges and universities. In 1930, he obtained American citizenship. In 1931, Sorokin founded the sociology department at Harvard University and led it until 1942. He was the first professor of sociology at Harvard, holding this position in 1931 and 1959. In 1965, he became president of the American Sociological Association.

Sorokin noted that Russia found itself in a difficult situation, being torn apart, plundered, and turned into an object rather than a subject. He believed that in such conditions, the country faced either destruction or a sharp recovery.