Sociologists Making Change
Public Engagement for Social Justice
Will be published approx. on 15. October 2026
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-6669-8132-2 (ISBN)
Description
Many sociologists enter their discipline motivated to make a living doing intellectual labor in a way that also will make the world a more just place, only to find that academic institutional constraints routinely impede their pursuit of that original goal.
Sociologists Making Change gathers more than a dozen examples of the real-world activism of US sociologists, who confront those constraints and get involved in political and social change efforts in addition to their conventional teaching and academic research.
This volume provides a resource for sociologists aiming to enter, stay on, or get back onto a path of public engagement. Without imposing a singular vision of how to follow that path, the editors and contributors illuminate a variety of ways to pursue change-oriented sociology. While such publicly engaged sociology is not a requisite role for every sociologist, it is consistent with a long sociological tradition. In this time and in the foreseeable future, the book argues, both the public and sociology as a discipline could benefit from research, teaching, and activism that aims to make a difference. Sociologists Making Change offers a path for sociologists collectively to build better public visibility in ways that make the discipline better understood and more valued in the public mind.
Sociologists Making Change gathers more than a dozen examples of the real-world activism of US sociologists, who confront those constraints and get involved in political and social change efforts in addition to their conventional teaching and academic research.
This volume provides a resource for sociologists aiming to enter, stay on, or get back onto a path of public engagement. Without imposing a singular vision of how to follow that path, the editors and contributors illuminate a variety of ways to pursue change-oriented sociology. While such publicly engaged sociology is not a requisite role for every sociologist, it is consistent with a long sociological tradition. In this time and in the foreseeable future, the book argues, both the public and sociology as a discipline could benefit from research, teaching, and activism that aims to make a difference. Sociologists Making Change offers a path for sociologists collectively to build better public visibility in ways that make the discipline better understood and more valued in the public mind.
Reviews / Votes
'...a wonderfully rich and inspiring collection of first-hand accounts of 'doing' community engaged sociology. This book is a must read for all those aspiring to understand how academic-based sociologist can make a difference in the broader world.' -- John Gaventa , Institute of Development Studies, UK This practical yet visionary book documents the rich interplay of sociological understandings of power, institutions and social movements with activists' ground-level experience and knowledge. Each chapter offers a unique case study of a sociologist's intervention in the politics of higher education or a controversy off campus. All of the essays implicitly explore the question-what can you do with a degree in sociology?-and answer resoundingly: make a difference! -- Barbara Ellen Smith, Professor Emerita, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Laminated cover
Illustrations
5 bw figures
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 153 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
240 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6669-8132-2 (9781666981322)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dale W. Wimberley is Associate Professor of Sociology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA.
Jon Shefner is Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, USA,
and Director of the Community University Research Collaboration Initiative.
Jon Shefner is Professor of Sociology at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, USA,
and Director of the Community University Research Collaboration Initiative.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction: How Can Sociologists Contribute to Political and Social Change? by Dale W. Wimberley and Jon Shefner
Part 1: Working Within the University for Change
Chapter 1: When Activism Gets Undermined by the Unexpected: The Science and Politics of Microaggressions at a Southern University by Kirk A. Johnson
Chapter 2: Making Change through the Everyday Life of a Faculty Member in the Deep South: Studying Abortion and Leading a Gender Studies Program in Mississippi by Kimberly Kelly
Chapter 3: The Ethics of Social Change: Navigating Community-Engaged Research at University-Based Research Centers by Carrie Lee Smith
Chapter 4: Teaching During a Storm: The Killing of Sam Dubose by Earl Wright II
Part 2: Pressing for Change Through Electoral Politics
Chapter 5: Challenging Civil War Memorialization: Renaming "Robert E. Lee High School" in Staunton, Virginia by Stephen C. Poulson
Chapter 6: Practicing Politics, Practicing Sociology: Applying Sociology as an Elected Official in Local Government by Anna M. Sorensen
Chapter 7: Progressive Political Activism in Southwest Virginia: A Local Indivisible Group Protecting Democracy by Dale W. Wimberley
Part 3: Movements For Rights, Recognition, And Equality
Chapter 8: We Say No to Moss 3 Landfill! Using Sociology to Fight for Environmental Justice in Appalachian Virginia by Shannon E. Bell, Amy Branson, and Amanda Burroughs
Chapter 9: Building and Sustaining a Movement for Immigrant Rights in Knoxville, Tennessee by Meghan Conley
Chapter 10: Activist Public Sociology Informing the Rental Housing Crisis in Jacksonville Florida by David Jaffee
Chapter 11: Sociology in the Borderlands: Bridging Global Human Rights and Local Advocacy in U.S. Cities by Jackie Smith
Part 4: Scholar Activists Over the Life Course
Chapter 12: Curating the Outfit: My Pathway toward Integrating Sociology and Organizing through Institution Building by Lisa East
Chapter 13: A Life Worth Living: My Sociologically Engaged Path toward LGBQTI+ Justice by Christine M. Robinson
Chapter 14: A Social Movement Career as a Sociologist: Confronting the Dilemma Of Expertise by Jon Shefner
Epilogue by Jon Shefner and Dale Wimberley
Index
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Introduction: How Can Sociologists Contribute to Political and Social Change? by Dale W. Wimberley and Jon Shefner
Part 1: Working Within the University for Change
Chapter 1: When Activism Gets Undermined by the Unexpected: The Science and Politics of Microaggressions at a Southern University by Kirk A. Johnson
Chapter 2: Making Change through the Everyday Life of a Faculty Member in the Deep South: Studying Abortion and Leading a Gender Studies Program in Mississippi by Kimberly Kelly
Chapter 3: The Ethics of Social Change: Navigating Community-Engaged Research at University-Based Research Centers by Carrie Lee Smith
Chapter 4: Teaching During a Storm: The Killing of Sam Dubose by Earl Wright II
Part 2: Pressing for Change Through Electoral Politics
Chapter 5: Challenging Civil War Memorialization: Renaming "Robert E. Lee High School" in Staunton, Virginia by Stephen C. Poulson
Chapter 6: Practicing Politics, Practicing Sociology: Applying Sociology as an Elected Official in Local Government by Anna M. Sorensen
Chapter 7: Progressive Political Activism in Southwest Virginia: A Local Indivisible Group Protecting Democracy by Dale W. Wimberley
Part 3: Movements For Rights, Recognition, And Equality
Chapter 8: We Say No to Moss 3 Landfill! Using Sociology to Fight for Environmental Justice in Appalachian Virginia by Shannon E. Bell, Amy Branson, and Amanda Burroughs
Chapter 9: Building and Sustaining a Movement for Immigrant Rights in Knoxville, Tennessee by Meghan Conley
Chapter 10: Activist Public Sociology Informing the Rental Housing Crisis in Jacksonville Florida by David Jaffee
Chapter 11: Sociology in the Borderlands: Bridging Global Human Rights and Local Advocacy in U.S. Cities by Jackie Smith
Part 4: Scholar Activists Over the Life Course
Chapter 12: Curating the Outfit: My Pathway toward Integrating Sociology and Organizing through Institution Building by Lisa East
Chapter 13: A Life Worth Living: My Sociologically Engaged Path toward LGBQTI+ Justice by Christine M. Robinson
Chapter 14: A Social Movement Career as a Sociologist: Confronting the Dilemma Of Expertise by Jon Shefner
Epilogue by Jon Shefner and Dale Wimberley
Index
About the Editors
About the Contributors