Public Sociology When the “Public” Is under Attack: Response to Hartmann

ABSTRACT

In his presidential address, Douglas Hartmann refines existing theoretical approaches to provide a more precise framework of public sociology. In this response piece, I consider several of his key points and elaborate on their implications for contemporary society. Specifically, I address whether distinctions between types of sociology remain essential and consider the challenges associated with doing public sociology in an increasingly fractured public sphere. I conclude with a call for sociologists to think through these issues in more detail to heighten our influence on the social spheres we research and discuss.

KEYWORDS:

• Public sociology
• policy sociology
• stratification
• public policy
• inequality
• stratification

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Adia Harvey Wingfield

Adia Harvey Wingfield is Professor of Sociology at Washington University in St. Louis. Her research focuses on social processes that maintain racial and gender inequality in professional occupations. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Social Problems, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Gender & Society, and American Behavioral Scientist. She is also a contributing writer for The Atlantic. Professor Wingfield is the author of several books, most recently the award-winning No More Invisible Man: Race and Gender in Men's Work (Temple University Press).