Handbook of Public Sociology

With a considerable fanfare and funding, Michael Burawoy defined his 2004 American Sociological Association presidential year as a time to rethink both what it means to engage in public sociology and how such endeavors are related to the larger disciplinary enterprise. In the ensuing half decade, veritable cottage industry arose exploring the virtues, problems, and challenges of such pursuits. However, there is nothing new about the sociological community's preoccupation with translating knowledge into practices designed to result in the betterment of society. This handbook explores the issues Burawoy put on the table. Its 23 entries divided into five broad topics. The first two are concerned with the explicating and then refining Burawoy's holistic model, while the remaining three sections are devoted to teaching, case studies of applied public sociology, and connecting public sociology to special fields. Despite a certain repetitiveness and the expected unevenness of such collections, this is a useful volume.

Vincent Jeffries is professor of sociology at California State University, Northridge.