Since Michael Burawoy’s 2004 ASA Presidential Address, the idea of public sociology has sparked intense global interest around the place of sociology in today’s society. Largely as a result of Burawoy’s efforts, the discussion of how – and even if – sociological knowledge might be put to public use has already taken place in the United States, and more recently in Britain. This Special Issue of the Canadian Journal of Sociology is intended to examine the field of Canadian sociology to untangle how it might engage with the ideal and reality of public sociology.
In light of this larger discussion we are calling for papers that place the debate about the types of sociology, including public sociology, in a comparative Canadian context. We want to critically engage with Burawoy’s four part typology (see “Public Sociologies: Contradictions, Dilemmas, and Possibilities” Social Forces, June 2004, 82(4) and "For Public Sociology." American Sociological Review, 2005, 70(1): 4-28) as well as a foster a discussion of the practical obstacles and challenges of practicing various types of sociology in Canada today.
For the sake of continuity, we want contributors to critically and analytically address the following questions:
Our goal is to have a lively interaction between a variety of types of sociology and public sociology in Canada. Simply put: Does Burawoy’s model fit the Canadian reality?
Michael Burawoy will provide comments for this Special Issue.
Deadline: January 15, 2008
Please respect the CJS guidelines in terms of length and format of your manuscript.
Please send manuscripts to:
Please Note: All submissions will be first vetted by the editors and judged for their appropriateness to the subject matter. Those most relevant to the topic will then be sent out for peer-review.