Has Sociology Progressed?: Reflections of an Accidental Academic

ISBN-13: 9783030199777 / Angielski / Twarda / 2019 / 134 str.

Colin Campbell

O autorze

Colin Campbell is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of York, UK. His previous books include The Romantic Ethic and the Spirit of Modern Consumerism (2018), The Easternization of The West (2007), and The Myth of Social Action (1996).

Blurb

“This book advances a bold assessment and critique of the state of sociology today. Campbell takes the discipline to task for denigrating the value of scholarship by prioritising ever narrower and more specialised research interests and agendas. What is needed instead, he claims, is for sociology to return to its core concerns by building bridges between theory and research findings in the search for explanations. This powerful argument goes against the grain of most current sociological thinking, and deserves close attention from academics across the social sciences.”— Nicholas Gane, Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick, UK

“Sociology hasn't always been lucky when it comes to the capacity of its practitioners to reflect on his or her life and its achievements. Autobiographies of sociologists often suffer from too much social structure, too much ideological commitment, or an overt reliance on some theoretical guru. Colin Campbell's autobiographical reflections prove that it can be done differently and to great effect for those who haven't given up on the possibility of intergenerational learning."— Andreas Hess, Professor of Sociology, University College Dublin, Ireland

Looking back over the last 60 years of sociology in the UK, this book addresses the question of progress in the discipline. Campbell's critical and autobiographical reflections offer fresh insights into the history of sociology, and engages with the notion of academic reputation, how it is measured, and what it can tell us about scholarly progress. 

Has Sociology Progressed? will be of special interest to all sociologists and would-be sociologists interested in the past, present and future of their discipline, as well as scholars contemplating academic progress and motivation in general.