Professing Sociology

Professing Sociology was originally published at a time when sociology commanded widespread interest and public funding. Written by one of the leaders of "the new sociology" of the late sixties, this volume captures the nature and intensity of the field's intellectual foundations and scope. It reveals the field's post-World War II development as a scientific discipline and as a profession, and includes the author's most significant writings on critical trends shaping the field.Irving Louis Horowitz divides the life cycle of sociology into three main sections. The first deals with the inner life of sociology, covering basic theoretical issues uniting and dividing the profession. In a second section, Horowitz shows the institutions and sources from which the struggle of ideas is nourished. A third section shows how political life shapes the inner life of American sociology. Horowitz gives a great deal of attention to international social science, to the relationship of social science to public policy, and to federal projects and grant agencies and their effects on research.Irving Louis Horowitz was undoubtedly influential in shaping his field, and Professing Sociology offers valuable insights into how ideas become part of the fabric of professional life. As the new introduction by Howard G. Schneiderman shows, Professing Sociology provides a clear picture of sociology at the height of its importance.

This book, first published in 1976, discusses four classical paradigms for sociology – the positivism of Saint-Simon and Comte, Durkheim, Marx and Weber – and four contemporary developments or revisions of them – the sociologie active of Dumazedier and his colleagues in France, sociology in Socialist Poland, the work of Dahrendorf and the ‘new sociology’ of Mills and his successors. Christopher Bryant suggests that no neutral language exists in which to compare the characteristics of these different paradigms, yet highlights those features which are common to all of them. Unique in its approach and analysis of the relationship between sociology and action, this book is of value and interest to students of sociology and theory and professional sociologists.

This lucidly written textbook covers the historical background of clinical sociology as a field and its developing trends around the world. It addresses the urgent need for sociologists to develop a clinical approach in their effort to improve society, with the emphasis that clinical sociology should complement the work of other disciplines such as clinical psychology, social work, and social anthropology. This book discusses in depth the concept of clinical sociology itself and the obligations of clinical sociologists. It fills a gap in the literature which reveals a lack of discussion and consensus on the roles and responsibilities of clinical sociologists, therefore making an important contribution to clinical sociology, and sociology, more broadly. Graduate students, practitioners and professionals in the field of clinical sociology, social work and other related disciplines will find this book very useful.

Kurt Wolff seeks to answer a large ques-tion: what are the justifications and tasks of sociology at a time when hu-mankind and its planet are in jeop-ardy? Since his youth in Germany, where he was a student ofthelate, great Karl Mannheim, the author has ori-ented much of his work to the sociology of sociology.Survival and Sociology takes into ac-count that this age, for the first time in history, extends to society what was only in the province of nature and god - the ability to destroy as well as create life. That being the case, the concern of so-ciology must shift from everyday issues to ideas and policies aimed at averting human extinction.The act of surrendering to our novel condition may give us a clue. In any case, it re-establishes our continuity with such founding figures as Max We-ber. Max Scheler. Alfred Schutz, Emile Durkheim. Georg Simmel, and Mann-heim himself.As a result. Wolffs work can be seen as both innovative and continuing a grand tradition of analysis. The an-swers given are very much in terms of specific American conditions, but also provide the sort of theoretical scaffold-ing that underwrites current East-West negotiations on practical issues relat-ing to arms negotiations and peace set-tlements. It is thus a work that should have wide appeal to students of the his-tory of ideas, sociologists of knowledge, and people interested in the philosoph-ical foundations of war and peace.

Crisis in Sociology presents a compelling portrait of sociology's current troubles and proposes a remedy that is likely to inspire controversy. In the authors' view sociology's crisis has deep roots, traceable to the over-ambitious sweep of the discipline's founders. Lopreato and Crippen argue that the most disabling flaw is the failure to discover even a single general law or principle necessary to systematically organize empirical observations, guide inquiry by suggesting falsifiable hypotheses, and form the core of a genuinely cumulative body of knowledge. Crisis in Sociology invites sociologists to consider that participation in the "new social science," exemplified by thriving new fields such as evolutionary psychology, may help to build a vigorous, scientific sociology.

During the 1920s a new generation of American sociologists tried to make their discipline more objective by adopting the methodology of the natural sciences. Robert Bannister provides the first comprehensive account of the emergence of this "objectivism" within the matrix of the evolutionism of Lester Ward and other founders of American sociology. Objectivism meant confining inquiry to the observable externals of social behavior and quantifying the results. Although objectivism was a marked departure from the theoretical and reformist sociology of the prewar years, and caused often-fierce intergenerational struggle, sociological objectivism had roots deep in prewar sociology. Objectivism first surfaced in the work of sociology's "second generation," the most prominent members of which completed their graduate work prior to World War I. It gradually took shape in what may be termed "realist" and "nominalist" variants, the first represented by Luther Lee Bernard and the second by William F. Ogburn and F. Stuart Chapin. For Bernard, a scientific sociology was radical, prescribing absolute standards for social policy. For Ogburn and Chapin, it was essentially statistical and advisory in the sense that experts would concern themselves exclusively with means rather than ends. Although the objectivists differed among themselves, they together precipitated battles within the American Sociological Society during the 1930s that challenged the monopoly of the Chicago School, paving the way for the informal alliance of Parsonian theorists and a new generation of quantifiers that dominated the profession throughout the 1950s. By shedding new light on the careers of Ward and the other founders and by providing original accounts of the careers of the leading objectivists, Bannister presents a unique look at the course of sociology before and after World War I. He puts theory formation in an institutional, ideological, and biographical setting, and thus offers an unparalleled look at the formation of a modern academic profession.

Public sociology—an approach to sociology that aims to communicate with and actively engage wider audiences—has been one of the most widely discussed topics in the discipline in recent years. The Handbook of Public Sociology presents a comprehensive look at every facet of public sociology in theory and practice. It pays particular attention to how public sociology can complement more traditional types of sociological practice to advance both the analytical power of the discipline and its ability to benefit society. The volume features contributions from a stellar list of authors, including several past presidents of the American Sociological Association such as Michael Burawoy, a leading proponent of public sociology. The first two sections of the Handbook of Public Sociology look at public sociology in relation to the other three types of practice—professional, policy, and critical—with an emphasis on integrating the four types into a holistic model of theory and practice. Subsequent sections focus on issues like teaching public sociology at various levels, case studies in the application of public sociology, and the role of public sociology in special fields in the discipline. The concluding chapter by Michael Burawoy, a past president of the American Sociological Association and a leading proponent of public sociology, addresses current debates surrounding public sociology and presents a constructive vision for the future that embraces and improves upon all four types of sociology. The Handbook of Public Sociology with its examination not only of public sociology but also of how it can enhance and complement other types of practice, transcends differences in the field and will appeal to a wide range of academics, students, and practitioners.