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Abstract
C. Wright Mills laid down a complex, contradictory legacy. Worldwide, he may be America's most famous sociologist, yet the professional journals rarely cite his work. In contrast, introductory sociology textbooks almost always discuss the sociological imagination, yet characteristically refer to only half of his concept, hardly ever mentioning its revolutionary character. Both the American Western and the murder mystery reveal parallels with Mills's biography and analysis of American sociology. Mills attempted to murder his father and older brother figures and invited us to join him, but he failed to rally our support. He left a legacy as much iconic as ironic.
This article is a revision of a talk given at the plenary session of the Mid-South Sociological Association in Mobile, Alabama on October 26, 2007. I am grateful to Saverio Giovacchini, Nachman Ben-Yehuda, and Barbara Weinstein for their insightful comments. An earlier version of this manuscript appeared in Revista Romana de Sociologie/The Romanian Journal of Sociology, vol. 18, nr. 5–6 (December, 2007). The editorial staff at Sociological Spectrum would like to thank Sorin Radulescu, editor of Revista Romana de Sociologie/The Romanian Journal of Sociology, for allowing us to publish Professor Goode's revised manuscript.