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Chapter 7 - Public Sociology and Social Problems

from Part I - General Concerns and Orientations in the Study of Social Problems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2018

By
Joshua Meisel  and
Mary Virnoche
Edited by
A. Javier Treviño
A. Javier Treviño
Affiliation:
Wheaton College, Massachusetts
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Summary

This chapter takes the discussion of social problems into the public sociology debate. We consider theoretical underpinnings of the idea of the public and the public problem-solving work in our disciplinary roots. We revisit conceptualizations of public intellectual labor as well as the historical struggles across professional associations as to the value and place for actually solving social problems. We conclude by considering the current national political climate, professional association responses, and challenges for social problems scholars in surreal times.

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The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems , pp. 119 - 132
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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