The Sociological Originality of Corrado Gini

This paper offers some evidence of the sociological relevance of Corrado Gini. His activities are frequently analysed for their demographic, statistical or economic outcomes. Several aspects of his scientific experience are related also to sociology. The paper connects some aspects of his biography to the historical and political contexts he lived in: from the coming to power of the Fascist regime to the Second World War and the Italian post-war ‘cultural’ reconstruction. Gini appears as an original intellectual in a changing society: a polyhedral personality of scientist, whose intense teaching, research and institutional activities were conducted with a strong attention to social processes. His interdisciplinary profile and scientific results can be relevant also for the contemporary systemic social theories.