Table Of ContentKnowledge for whom?
What’s the point of sociology? Sociology has long been the most self-questioning
of disciplines. Recently, such self-interrogation has involved discussion about
what kinds of audiences sociology reaches and should be reaching. This book
constitutes a vast leap forward in the “public sociology” debates, enriching them
with historical depth, philosophical sophistication, and a truly global vision. An
exceptionally attention-grabbing contribution.
david Inglis, University of exeter, UK
Public Intellectuals and the
Sociology of Knowledge
Series Editors
dr Andreas hess, University College dublin, Ireland
dr neil mclaughlin, mcmaster University, Canada
The sociology of knowledge has a long and distinctive history. Its function has
always been that of attempting to bridge the aspirations of the discursive and
institutional founding fathers of sociology with that of modern attempts to define
the discipline through the study of the emergence, role and social function of ideas.
However, since Mannheim first outlined his program in the 1920s, the sociology
of knowledge has undergone many changes. The field has become extremely
differentiated and some of its best practitioners now sail under different flags and
discuss their work under different headings. This new series charts the progress
that has been made in recent times – despite the different labels. Be it intellectual
history Cambridge-style, the new sociology of ideas which is now gaining strength
in north America, or the more european cultural analysis which is associated with
the name of Bourdieu, this series aims at being inclusive while simultaneously
striving for sociological insight and excellence. All too often modern attempts in
the sociology of knowledge, broadly conceived, have only looked at form while
they downplayed or disregarded content, substance of argument or meaning. This
series will help to rectify this.
Knowledge for whom?
Public Sociology in the making
Edited by
ChrISTIAn fleCK
University of Graz, Austria
AndreAS heSS
University College Dublin, Ireland
© Christian Fleck and Andreas Hess 2014
All rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher.
Christian fleck and Andreas hess have asserted their right under the Copyright, designs
and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the editors of this work.
Published by
Ashgate Publishing limited Ashgate Publishing Company
Wey Court East 110 Cherry Street
Union Road Suite 3-1
Farnham Burlington, VT 05401–3818
Surrey, GU9 7PT USA
england
www.ashgate.com
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British library
The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows:
Fleck, Christian, 1954-
Knowledge for whom?: public sociology in the making / by Christian fleck and Andreas
hess.
pages cm. -- (Public intellectuals and the sociology of knowledge)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4094-3458-0 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4094-3459-7 (ebook) -- ISBN 978-
1-4724-0191-5 (epub) 1. Sociology. 2. Intellectuals. I. Hess, Andreas. II. Title.
HM435.F56 2013
301--dc23
2013020281
ISBN 9781409434580 (hbk)
ISBN 9781409434597 (ebk – PDF)
ISBN 9781472401915 (ebk – ePUB)
IV
Contents
List of Figures and Tables vii
List of Contributors ix
Introduction: Public Sociology in the Making 1
Christian Fleck and Andreas Hess
Part I PublIc Intellectuals and theIr afterlIves:
bIograPhIes, rePutatIon-buIldIng and academIc
dIscIPlInes
1 Biography in the Social Sciences: The Case of Marcel Mauss 19
Marcel Fournier
2 Making Sense of Individual Creativity: An Attempt to
Trespass the Academic Boundaries of the Sociology of
Ideas and Intellectual History 27
Andreas Hess
3 Scholarly Publishing Projects in the Great Depression:
The Works of G.H. Mead and the Payne Fund Studies 47
Daniel R. Huebner
4 Psychology and Sociology in the Late 19th Century French Intellectual
Field: The Case of the Revue Internationale de Sociologie 67
Marcia Cristina Consolim
5 From Communicative Memory to Non-History – Czech and Polish
Narratives of Sociology’s Past 89
Jarosław Kilias
Part II servIng the PublIc or servIng the state?:
trIals and trIbulatIons of organIzatIonal
and state-related hIstorIes
6 Research For Whom?: Changing Conceptions of Disciplinarity
in the American University 109
Daniel Gordon
vi Knowledge for Whom?
7 The Making of “Excellence” in the European Research
Area: How Research Funding Organizations Work 127
Barbara Hoenig
8 Using Scientific Knowledge in Policy Making:
The Importance of Organizational Culture 147
Sally Shortall
9 Public Sociology in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore 163
Albert Tzeng
10 A Chapter in the History of Brazilian Sociology: UNESCO
Research about Race Relations and the Unexpected
Prejudice against Poles in Curitiba (Paraná) 185
Márcio de Oliveira
Part III Intellectuals and theIr audIences
11 Blurring the Boundary Line: The Origins and
Fate of Robert Bellah’s Symbolic Realism 205
Matteo Bortolini
12 How Spaces of Opinion Shape Public Intellectuals:
A Field-based Approach to Project Syndicate-Op-Eds 229
Philipp Korom
13 The Role of Public Intellectual in the Role-Set of Academics 253
Ragnvald Kalleberg
14 Critics as Cultural Intermediaries 275
Thomas Crosbie and Jonathan Roberge
15 World Sociology: The View from Atlantis 299
Andrew Abbott
Index 317
List of Figures and Tables
Figure
11.1 Fractal image of the main currents of thought analysed
in this chapter 214
Tables
9.1 Division of Sociological Labour 164
9.2 Modes of Public Engagement of Sociologists 165
9.3 Sorting Template of Public Sociology 166
9.4 Cases of Organized Public Engagement of Taiwanese Sociologists 177
9.5 Public Engagement of Sociologists in Taiwan,
Hong Kong and Singapore 179
10.1 Marriage Preferences (in per cent) 193
11.1 Positional Similarities between Interpretive Social Scientists 215
12.1 Occupational Composition of all Contributors (Left Column)
to the Project Syndicate-Space and of a Selected Subgroup
(right columns) of Think Tank and University Affiliated Writers 239
12.2 Per cent of Affiliation to Universities and Think Tanks 241
12.3 Distinct Vocabulary Profiles within the Group of Public
Intellectuals (N = 44) 243
12.4. 47 Public Intellectuals participating in Project Syndicate 248
This page has been left blank intentionally
List of Contributors
Andrew Abbott is Gustavus F. and Ann. M. Swift Distinguished Service Professor
at the University of Chicago, USA.
Matteo Bortolini is Assistant Professor in sociology at the University of Padova,
Italy.
Marcia Cristina Consolim teaches sociology at the Federal University of São
Paulo, Brazil.
Thomas Crosbie is a doctoral student at Yale’s Center for Cultural Sociology,
USA.
Christian Fleck is Professor of Sociology at the University of Graz, Austria.
Marcel Fournier is Professor of Sociology at the University of Montreal, Canada.
Daniel Gordon is Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Amherst,
USA.
Andreas Hess teaches sociology at University College Dublin, Ireland.
Barbara Hoenig is a postdoctoral researcher in sociology at the University of
Innsbruck, Austria.
Daniel R. Huebner is Adjunct Professor of Sociology at American University and
Bowie State University, USA.
Ragnvald Kalleberg is Professor of Sociology at the University of Oslo, Norway.
Jarosław Kilias teaches sociology at Warsaw University, Poland.
Philipp Korom was an Assistant Professor at the University of Graz and is
now Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies,
Cologne, Germany.
Márcio de Oliveira is Professor of Sociology in the Political Science and Sociology
Department of Federal University of Paraná, Brazil.
