Public sociology : fifteen eminent sociologists debate politics and the profession in the twenty-first century

In 2004, Michael Burawoy, speaking as president of the American Sociological Association, generated far-reaching controversy when he issued an ambitious and impassioned call for a 'public sociology'. Burawoy argued that sociology should speak beyond the university, engaging with social movements and deepening an understanding of the historical and social context in which they exist. In this volume, renowned sociologists come together to debate the perils and the potentials of Burawoy's challenge. Contributors of this title include: Andrew Abbott, Michael Burawoy, Patricia Hill Collins, Barbara Ehrenreich, Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Sharon Hays, Douglas Massey, Joya Misra, Orlando Patterson, Frances Fox Piven, Lynn Smith-Lovin, Judith Stacey, Arthur Stinchcombe, Alain Touraine, Immanuel Wallerstein, William Julius Wilson, and Robert Zussman.

Acknowledgments INTRODUCTORY Introduction--Robert Zussman and Joya Misra For Public Sociology--Michael Burawoy INSTITUTIONALIZING PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY Public Sociology and the End of Society--Alain Touraine Stalled at the Altar? Conflict, Hierarchy, and Compartmentalization in Burawoy's Public Sociology--Sharon Hays If I Were the Goddess of Sociological Things--Judith Stacey Going Public: Doing the Sociology That Had No Name--Patricia Hill Collins POLITICS AND THE PROFESSION Speaking to Publics--William Julius Wilson Do We Need a Public Sociology? It Depends on What You Mean by Sociology--Lynn Smith-Lovin Speaking Truth to the Public, and Indirectly to Power--Arthur L. Stinchcombe The Strength of Weak Politics--Douglas S. Massey From Public Sociology to Politicized Sociologist--Frances Fox Piven FALSE DISTINCTIONS: CONCEPTUAL RESERVATIONS The Sociologist and the Public Sphere--Immanuel Wallerstein About Public Sociology--Orlando Patterson For Humanist Sociology--Andrew Abbott INTERDISCIPLINARITY Whose Public Sociology? The Subaltern Speaks, but Who Is Listening?--Evelyn Nakano Glenn A Journalist's Plea--Barbara Ehrenreich REJOINDER The Field of Sociology: Its Power and Its Promise--Michael Burawoy Editors and Contributors Index

In 2004, Michael Burawoy, speaking as president of the American Sociological Association, generated far-reaching controversy when he issued an ambitious and impassioned call for a 'public sociology'. Burawoy argued that sociology should speak beyond the university, engaging with social movements and deepening an understanding of the historical and social context in which they exist. In this volume, renowned sociologists come together to debate the perils and the potentials of Burawoy's challenge. The contributors include Andrew Abbott, Michael Burawoy, Patricia Hill Collins, Barbara Ehrenreich, Evelyn Nakano Glenn, Sharon Hays, Douglas Massey, Joya Misra, Orlando Patterson, Frances Fox Piven, Lynn Smith-Lovin, Judith Stacey, Arthur Stinchcombe, Alain Touraine, Immanuel Wallerstein, William Julius Wilson, and Robert Zussman.

Acknowledgments INTRODUCTORY Introduction--Robert Zussman and Joya Misra For Public Sociology--Michael Burawoy INSTITUTIONALIZING PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY Public Sociology and the End of Society--Alain Touraine Stalled at the Altar? Conflict, Hierarchy, and Compartmentalization in Burawoy's Public Sociology--Sharon Hays If I Were the Goddess of Sociological Things--Judith Stacey Going Public: Doing the Sociology That Had No Name--Patricia Hill Collins POLITICS AND THE PROFESSION Speaking to Publics--William Julius Wilson Do We Need a Public Sociology? It Depends on What You Mean by Sociology--Lynn Smith-Lovin Speaking Truth to the Public, and Indirectly to Power--Arthur L. Stinchcombe The Strength of Weak Politics--Douglas S. Massey From Public Sociology to Politicized Sociologist--Frances Fox Piven FALSE DISTINCTIONS: CONCEPTUAL RESERVATIONS The Sociologist and the Public Sphere--Immanuel Wallerstein About Public Sociology--Orlando Patterson For Humanist Sociology--Andrew Abbott INTERDISCIPLINARITY Whose Public Sociology? The Subaltern Speaks, but Who Is Listening?--Evelyn Nakano Glenn A Journalist's Plea--Barbara Ehrenreich REJOINDER The Field of Sociology: Its Power and Its Promise--Michael Burawoy Editors and Contributors Index