Public Sociology and Democratic Theory
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2007
Keywords
Burawoy, Comte, democratic theory, foundations, liberal democracy, political neutrality, public sociology, standpoint theory, value-neutrality
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038507080436
Abstract
Sociology, as conceived by Comte, was to put an end to the anarchy of opinions characteristic of liberal democracy by replacing opinion with the truths of sociology, imposed through indoctrination. Later sociologists backed away from this, making sociology acceptable to liberal democracy by being politically neutral. The critics of this solution asked `whose side are we on?' Burawoy provides a novel justification for advocacy scholarship in sociology. Public sociology is intended to have political effects, but also to be funded by the politically neutral state. He argues that public sociology is institutionally neutral, but that committing to an organic relation with a social movement is legitimate as a matter of the sociologist's personal value choice. Although this produces side-taking sociology, by improving the case for particular standpoints it ser ves to improve democratic discussion generally, which is an appropriately neutral public aim.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Sociology, v. 41, issue 5, p. 785-798
Scholar Commons Citation
Turner, Stephen, "Public Sociology and Democratic Theory" (2007). Philosophy Faculty Publications. 268.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/phi_facpub/268
