Public Sociology and the End of Society

Abstract

Beginning with the verification that sociological research doesn't correspond to its classic definition anymore and that, consequently, the academic community's moment to overcome the contradiction between professional sociology and critical sociology has arrived, the author discusses some central points of Burawoy's proposal concerning public sociology. With resource to experiences coming out of Latin-American, North American and European intellectual life, this paper makes an effort in relating public sociology to the more political process of recognition of social actors' rights, capable of organizing the field inside which a general sociology of the actors can flourish and grow. This paper verifies that there are times in which the demand for teorization is more urgent; in other times, social critic has priority. And concludes that, if the sociological community still asserts the need to identify the main contemporary social problems, then the combination of public sociology with professional sociology is ever more necessary.