Sociology and the sociological imagination

reflections on, disciplinarity and intellectual specialisation

John Scott

pp. 14-30

in: Judith Burnett, Syd Jeffers, Graham Thomas (eds), New social connections, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010

Abstract

Sociology always used to be described, unproblematically, as the science of society.¹ Many sociologists have expressed self-doubts about the appropriateness of designating their discipline as a 'science", and increasing numbers have begun to express similar concerns about describing their subject matter as 'society". While disputes over the scientific character of sociological method have largely been resolved through the use of alternative words (such as discipline, study) or through circumlocution – simple avoidance of the disputed word – rejection of the word 'society" seems to point to something deeper, to issues that lie at the very heart of the discipline.