Chapter 27: Public Sociology?

  • Augustus Granville Dill: A Case Study in the Conceptualization of a Black Public Sociology  This article uses the biography of the little-known Black, queer sociologist Augustus Granville Dills as a template for conceptualizing a unique form of public sociology: Black public sociology. Through doing so it demonstrates how though highlighting the voices that have been excluded from the discipline, public sociology can extend sociological understandings. 

1. What is Black sociology? 
2. What are the five principles which Wright and Calhoun argue are present in the practice of a Black sociology? 
3. What methods did Dill use to share his research amongst different publics?

1. Why has Burawoy's definition of public sociology been critiqued? 
2. Why may the concept of public sociology be less novel to sociologists outside of the US? 
3. According to Ghamari-Tabrizi what factors determine whether concepts become generalizable or universal?

  • Sociological Images: Blogging as Public Sociology - This article highlights the potential for using websites as a platform for public sociology and explores some of the challenges which academics face when using blogging to engage with a general audiences.

1. What issues do the comments sections of blogs raise for sociologists using this medium to share their research? 
2. Why may the engagement with large audiences on blogs be detrimental to sociologists? 
3. What steps have the researchers taken to ensure that their research is accessible to non-academic audiences?