What's the use of sociology? The question has been asked often enough
and it leaves a lingering doubt in the minds of many. At a time when
there is widespread scepticism about the value of sociology and of the
social sciences generally, this short book by one of the world's leading
thinkers offers a passionate, engaging and important statement of the
need for sociology.
In a series of conversations with Michael Hviid Jacobsen and Keith
Tester, Zygmunt Bauman explains why sociology is necessary if we hope to
live fully human lives. But the kind of sociology he advocates is one
which sees 'use' as more than economic success and knowledge as more
than the generation of facts. Bauman makes a powerful case for the
practice of sociology as an ongoing dialogue with human experience, and
in so doing he issues a call for us all to start questioning the common
sense of our everyday lives. He also offers the clearest statement yet
of the principles which inform his own work, reflecting on his life and
career and on the role of sociology in our contemporary liquid-modern
world.
This book stands as a testimony to Bauman's belief in the enduring
relevance of sociology. But it is also a call to us all to start
questioning the world in which we live and to transform ourselves from
being the victims of circumstance into the makers of our own history.
For that, at the end of the day, is the use of sociology.
