Engaging in public sociology

Abstract

A major question asked in this chapter is this: ‘how do Filipino sociologists engage in public sociology in the Philippines?’ Hence, the chapter deals with lived experiences in public sociology. First, the study accounts on the context of Philippine society as situated in a perpetual state of authoritarianism via narratives of human rights violations in Cebu, Central Visayas, the Philippines. The human rights situation is taken as the core discussion in public sociology, as the researcher considers it to be at the heart of the social sciences. Philippine society as being in a state of perpetual war is brought to light, enumerating cases of human rights violations currently perpetrated by state actors who find themselves in conditions that empower the possibility of engaging in violent acts. Second, the study traces ontological premises of Philippine education as an institution of the colonial past. The study puts the emphasis on assessing on the nature of Philippine education since education is a social institution that serves as platform by which public sociology is engaged. Third, the study describes the nature of Philippine public sociology as a spiral of professional sociology, critical sociology and public policy sociology, with public demonstration working through it as a connective baste.