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The Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills is best remembered for his highly acclaimed work The Sociological Imagination, in which he set forth his views on how social science should be pursued. Hailed upon publication as a cogent and hard-hitting critique, The Sociological Imagination took issue with the ascendant schools of sociology in the United States, calling for a humanist sociology connectin...more
Paperback, 248 pages
Published
April 13th 2000
by Oxford University Press, USA
(first published 1959)
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This book is written as a sort of textbook for aspiring sociology majors, although Mills wouldn't like the term "textbook". He spends the beginning of the book fairly aggressively attacking current (in the 50s but still I think quite relevant today) trends in sociology and then goes on to explain sociology as he sees it: a neccesarily political and historical profession.
Though I wouldn't recommend it to everyone and it's certainly not light reading, it provides an excellent...more
Though I wouldn't recommend it to everyone and it's certainly not light reading, it provides an excellent...more
In "The Sociological Imagination," C. Wright Mills lays the groundwork for an ideal social science.[return][return]Without reproducing the entirety of his book, it would be impossible to adequately relate his framework. The most basic and important points here are keeping an eye to history and to agency, and avoid strict adherence to any one methodology or any one theory. He also urges practicing social scientists to work within the field as a whole, rather than specializing heavily in...more
The Sociological Imagination reads like a manifesto for US sociologists and the intelligentsia. Full of bitter, but succinct and devastating critiques on the then most prevailing trends in sociology, “grand theory†and “abstracted empiricism,†this declaration serves as a moral and ethical footing for those engaged in the field of sociology. Additionally comments on theory and methodology serve as useful tools for students both at the graduate and undergraduate level.
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Although I was often frustrated by The Sociological Imagination, I feel that it is a must read for social scientists (and certainly should be read by educators, political scientists, historians, etc.). Mills can be hard to agree with at times, and I regularly had to re-read portions to really understand what was being said. However, this book is an important reminder that we need to act ethically as social scientists--we have to look at the impact of our work (who is it reaching? what are we try...more
The first 100 pages of this book were really hard to get through, and even after that, the book was very dense and took quite a bit of effort to understand. All that being said, this has been one of the most thought-provoking and academically-inspiring books I have read in the past year. Mills was a prominent sociologist of the earlier half of the twentieth century (if I’m not mistaken, he coined the phrases “WASP” and “white collar”). In this book, Mills criticizes the two dominant methods of s...more
My first reading of Sociological Imagination was as an 18-year-old not-quite-sociology-major. It made marginal sense to me then, although I did enjoy Mills' strong prose style. What a difference 4 years makes. Now that I am in graduate school and fully immersed in sociology and its debates between huge, sweeping theories and micro statistical studies, as well as its debates between value-laden sociology and rigidly objective sociology, I found the book wonderfully engaging. I also appreciated hi...more
The book was written pretty understandably, and he makes a lot of good points about mindset problems that can hinder you while doing social science and what social science ought to be doing. I was particularly interested in the few paragraphs scattered throughout when he comments on what "science" is - and why social science can fit that definition. Also, after watching Sam Harris' TED talk on morality, a lot of what Mills said on the mission of social science for humanity really res...more
The Sociological Imagination is a term coined by Mills to describe the way that good sociologists view a problem and the possible solutions. He suggests that we view everything through the intersection of history, biography, and sociology, and that we multidisciplinary approaches to finding solutions for sociological problems. It's a hard read at first, and you start of kind of hating Mills and thinking he's an arrogant sod, but by the time I got to the solution chapters, I had begun to "ge...more
In The Sociological Imagination, Mills challenges all of us to be better students, citizens, teachers, political agents. Although not as good as his classic The Power Elite, this is a unique book in the annals of social theory. Nothing comes close to it. Anything by Mills is good, but this one is really good.
The first chapter is what is most often read and/or assigned, but I think it continues to be one of the best statements defining sociology and a sociological perspective.
The other chapters on grand theory, etc. are also worth reading, but the first chapter 'The Promise' is perhaps the most important and also mostly commonly cited by contemporary sociologists.
Mills' description of the way in which Americans tend to perceive problems as emanating from the individual - rath...more
The other chapters on grand theory, etc. are also worth reading, but the first chapter 'The Promise' is perhaps the most important and also mostly commonly cited by contemporary sociologists.
Mills' description of the way in which Americans tend to perceive problems as emanating from the individual - rath...more
Awesome book! It surprisingly critiqued mainstream social science methodology and presented some very challenging concepts for understanding the social world ranging from micro to macro levels of consideration.
An important book to read in light of today's academic situation of capitally defined disciplinary boundaries and funding. This book is as relevant, perhaps more relevant, than at the time it was written.
Sociological imagination: the quality of mind essential to grasp the interplay of man and society, of biography and history, of self and world (p.4).
Marisa
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This is a dense read. Luckily I am in a sociology class so we can discuss the concepts from the book that might have otherwise not been understood.
Admittedly, this is not the easiest book to get through but it still deserves its place in the sociological canon. Mills writes about the motivation behind social research and the spectrum of social studies including sociology, anthropology, history, and economics. This book is a classical manifesto for anyone engaged in social science.
Simply a great read for everyone to provide an alternative view of the life.
Yumi Kim
added it
Blackmar recommended reading appendix for example of "research journal"
None
This is a really good book & although I nearly finished it - I didn't get quite to the end.
No fault of the book - it was just too 'educational' for bedtime reading!
Will read it again someday (along with The Second Sex which was great but I had same problem with) when I've the time but for now I'm sticking to pure entertainment (or at the very least, edutainment) in my bedside reading material!
No fault of the book - it was just too 'educational' for bedtime reading!
Will read it again someday (along with The Second Sex which was great but I had same problem with) when I've the time but for now I'm sticking to pure entertainment (or at the very least, edutainment) in my bedside reading material!
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This is an amazing book and kind of unlike his other books. I think it is given a lot of praise for the first 1-2 chapters, but the rest of the book outlines his theory quite well also. He's a very interesting sociologist and I really agree with the whole "public sociology" idea. Also, I think everyone needs some sociological imagination in their lives.
As far as sociology goes, this book is a MUST. I think this book was required in every soc class I ever took, and I didn't mind. It's the book that opened my eyes to social sciences and the realization that everything is socially constructed. Academic basics for soc students, but a very nice read even if it's not required.
The Sociological Imagination is a usefull book to read for every one that like to underestand Social and Political relations. Specially inequality in human relations explained well. I enjoied of reading this book.
M.h.w
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The greatest sociological work ever!
My brother Travis is a Sociology major and recommended this book to me. I like it. It was a difficult book to get through but I learned tons and it changed the way that I view the social sciences.
It's a good book when you're done, but it didn't totally engage me.
Another sociology book! But a great read
Changed the way I think about sociology.
Essential.
Claudia
marked it as to-read
Lydia
marked it as to-read
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American sociologist. Mills is best remembered for his 1959 book The Sociological Imagination in which he lays out a view of the proper relationship between biography and history, theory and method in sociological scholarship. He is also known for studying the structures of power and class in the U.S. in his book The Power Elite. Mills was concerned with the responsibilities of intellectuals in po...more
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“Let every man be his own methodologist, let every man be his own theorist”
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“Nie można zrozumieć ani życia jednostki, ani życia społeczeństwa, nie odnosząc jednego do drugiego.”
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