Becoming Sociological: Disciplinarity and a Sense of 'Home'

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Burton, S V A. 2016. Becoming Sociological: Disciplinarity and a Sense of 'Home'. Sociology, 50(5), pp. 984-992. ISSN 0038-0385 [Article]

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Official URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003803...

Abstract or Description

This short reflective piece uses the concept of ‘home’ to explore sociology as an intellectual an disciplinary pursuit. Drawing on autobiographical reflections and ethnographic study of sociology writing, I consider some of the trajectories of academics into sociology and what these tell us about the discipline itself. In light of increasing incursions by audit culture and marketization of academia, Holmwood (2010) has drawn attention to a lack of clear internal identity as being ‘sociology’s misfortune’ – that sociology loses out, and is weakened by lacking theories and methodologies specific to the discipline. This essay takes a more optimistic view of
sociology’s position, and instead argues that it is this very ambiguity which keeps the discipline a lively and vital space for explorations of the social.

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Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038516629910