C. Wright Mills on the “Academic Pose,” “Academic Prose” and Critical Social Science

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ABSTRACT In a world beset with multiple crises—from the forever wars to Covid, the climate crises, neoliberal capitalism etc.—critical thought and analyses are more important than ever. In addition to critical analyses, the lucid and jargon-free communication of the dynamics and possible trajectories of the multiple crises also assumes significance. More than fifty years ago, the importance of avoiding gratuitous jargon that impedes clear communication was directly addressed by C. Wright Mills. In this article, considering the acceleration of endemic crises, the heightened significance of C. Wright Mills’s intervention and call for eschewing jargon itself as an important element of social critique is highlighted.