Abstract
Deciding whether an academic discipline has progressed is not easy, while gaining a reputation for oneself and helping the discipline to progress do not seem to be closely related. Many obstacles have prevented sociology from progressing, some of which are beyond the control of sociologists: but many are not. Indeed, if no progress has been made, it is largely because few sociologists have set themselves this goal. Many have given priority to their personal interests rather than tackle difficult theoretical questions, while there has been a tendency to confuse studying social life with adding to sociological understanding. But progress was made in the past (why otherwise would we study the works of Durkheim, Marx and Weber), and so—if more favourable circumstances were to come to pass—there is no reason why this could not happen in the future.
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Notes
- 1.
See Abbott’s contention that cumulation occurs “within paradigms” but that no paradigm gains universal acceptance as they are generally seen as “too insular” (2006, p. 61).
- 2.
It is possible that there are sociologists who have succeeded in convincing themselves that, in studying topics that interest them, even though no significant theoretical puzzle is involved, they are nonetheless contributing to the advancement of the discipline. To the extent that they believe this to be the case, they could be said to be suffering from false consciousness.
- 3.
See also in this respect Max Steuer’s suggestion that sociology—along with related disciplines—could be dubbed “pretend social science” (2003, p. 424).
- 4.
I do recognize that fame and immortality are hardly synonyms. I am simply assuming that the desire for fame is in effect a desire for one’s name to live on for a period after one’s death, not that it will live forever.
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Campbell, C. (2019). Sociology, a Work in Progress?. In: Has Sociology Progressed?. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19978-4_9
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