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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 connecting the social, personal, and historical dimensions of our lives. The sociological imagination Mills calls for is a sociological vision, a way of looking at the world that can see links between the apparently private problems of the individual and important social issues.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
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About the author
C. Wright Mills
49 books273 followersCharles Wright Mills was an American sociologist and a professor of sociology at Columbia University from 1946 until his death in 1962. Mills published widely in both popular and intellectual journals, and is remembered for several books, such as
The Power Elite
,
White Collar: The American Middle Classes
and
The Sociological Imagination
.
Mills was concerned with the responsibilities of intellectuals in post–World War II society, and he advocated public and political engagement over disinterested observation. One of Mills's biographers, Daniel Geary, writes that Mills's writings had a "particularly significant impact on New Left social movements of the 1960s era." It was Mills who popularized the term "New Left" in the U.S., in a 1960 open letter "Letter to the New Left".
Mills was concerned with the responsibilities of intellectuals in post–World War II society, and he advocated public and political engagement over disinterested observation. One of Mills's biographers, Daniel Geary, writes that Mills's writings had a "particularly significant impact on New Left social movements of the 1960s era." It was Mills who popularized the term "New Left" in the U.S., in a 1960 open letter "Letter to the New Left".
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October 8, 2016
I’ve been teaching a first year university subject to student teachers on the sociology of education – I hadn’t realised how much fun I would find the course. It is sort of an opportunity to talk about all of my favourite things. But in the first lesson I had to explain what sociology is and so I talked about the sociological imagination and felt a bit of a fraud, as I hadn’t actually read the book. So, now I have.
And it’s a wonderful book. Conveniently, Mills provides his own three-sentence summary – perhaps more authors should be so handy: “What are the social sciences all about? They ought to be about man and society and sometimes they are. They are attempts to help us understand biography and history, and the connections of the two in a variety of social structures.” pp. 31-2
This just needs a very little explanation. Sociology is generally defined as trying to work out where we sit on a particular spectrum. The two ends of that spectrum are not really positions that anyone sensible ever really holds. They are that we are entirely self-made or that we are completely the product of our environment. In Mills’ terms: we are either the product of our biography or of our history. In the West we like to place out bets closer to the self-made end of that spectrum. And we do that despite the evidence, rather than because of it.
But if social science is a science – and a lot of this book goes over that dead and sterile debate and so on, but in interesting ways at least – then we expect sciences to have both theories and methods. Mills doesn’t say ‘have no theories’ but rather that we shouldn’t trust grand theories that provide too many answers. Mills is more of a questions, than an answers sort of guy – best to be one of those if you possibly can – and so a lot of this book is devoted to looking at the kinds of questions sociology ought to ask and some of the ways that it might be worthwhile seeking out answers to those questions.
What I like most about him is he goes out of his way to be as clear as possible – something that academics and academic writing often tries to avoid as if on pain of death. He says that too much of sociology is three hundred page books that could comfortably have had everything important in them said in thirty pages. That this is also true of some of the research that is done – that is too grandiose and not at all clear about what it is seeking to answer (or why) and so stumbles and trips if never actually seeming to fall on its face - although a lot of it is so unclearly written that it could fall on its face and no one might notice.
The lessons here are to be clear about what it is you want to answer, lay traps for yourself so you don’t just end up echoing the obvious in ways no one can understand, avoid echoing The power, and learn the craft – that being good at the craft is the path to success in this science.
I really like sociology. I think there are too many things in life we take for granted – a similar idea to Socrates’ one of the unexamined life – and that there are relatively simple methods to ‘interrogate’ the world with that illuminate aspects of our world in surprising ways – particularly around the big three major themes of race, gender and class – themes that we just wouldn’t see otherwise.
The appendix On Intellectual Craftmanship, by the way, is worth the cover price of the book.
And it’s a wonderful book. Conveniently, Mills provides his own three-sentence summary – perhaps more authors should be so handy: “What are the social sciences all about? They ought to be about man and society and sometimes they are. They are attempts to help us understand biography and history, and the connections of the two in a variety of social structures.” pp. 31-2
This just needs a very little explanation. Sociology is generally defined as trying to work out where we sit on a particular spectrum. The two ends of that spectrum are not really positions that anyone sensible ever really holds. They are that we are entirely self-made or that we are completely the product of our environment. In Mills’ terms: we are either the product of our biography or of our history. In the West we like to place out bets closer to the self-made end of that spectrum. And we do that despite the evidence, rather than because of it.
But if social science is a science – and a lot of this book goes over that dead and sterile debate and so on, but in interesting ways at least – then we expect sciences to have both theories and methods. Mills doesn’t say ‘have no theories’ but rather that we shouldn’t trust grand theories that provide too many answers. Mills is more of a questions, than an answers sort of guy – best to be one of those if you possibly can – and so a lot of this book is devoted to looking at the kinds of questions sociology ought to ask and some of the ways that it might be worthwhile seeking out answers to those questions.
What I like most about him is he goes out of his way to be as clear as possible – something that academics and academic writing often tries to avoid as if on pain of death. He says that too much of sociology is three hundred page books that could comfortably have had everything important in them said in thirty pages. That this is also true of some of the research that is done – that is too grandiose and not at all clear about what it is seeking to answer (or why) and so stumbles and trips if never actually seeming to fall on its face - although a lot of it is so unclearly written that it could fall on its face and no one might notice.
The lessons here are to be clear about what it is you want to answer, lay traps for yourself so you don’t just end up echoing the obvious in ways no one can understand, avoid echoing The power, and learn the craft – that being good at the craft is the path to success in this science.
I really like sociology. I think there are too many things in life we take for granted – a similar idea to Socrates’ one of the unexamined life – and that there are relatively simple methods to ‘interrogate’ the world with that illuminate aspects of our world in surprising ways – particularly around the big three major themes of race, gender and class – themes that we just wouldn’t see otherwise.
The appendix On Intellectual Craftmanship, by the way, is worth the cover price of the book.
February 11, 2013
The Sociological Imagination was written by C. Wright Mills in 1959, and he died in 1962 only three years later. He was a sociologist at Columbia University, and the goal of this book was to analyze the discipline of sociology with suggestions for improvement. He felt most mid-century sociologists lost their true purpose: "That these three - biography, history, and society - are the co-ordinate points of the proper study of man has been a major platform on which I have stood when criticizing several current schools of sociology who have abandoned this classic tradition" (p. 143). He holds central the importance of looking at power relations, historical realities experienced by humans, comparative understandings of social structures, the ability to study small environments in terms of larger structures, and to not be bound by disciplines (p. 135). And he warns against sociologists accepting the imbalanced social structure by participation: "But whether the social scientists is aware of it or not, merely by working as a social scientist he is to some extent engaging a bureaucratic or ideological role" (p. 81). Mills believes history is moving from "The Modern Age" to "The Fourth Epoch," and old ideas and images are based in the past. He states "…all these ideals of The Enlightenment have rested upon the happy assumption of the inherent relation of reason and freedom" (p. 166) but in this new epoch reason does not create freedom. This book has encouraged me to think about my proposed field of work post-graduation. I am not primarily interested in becoming a faculty member at a traditional four-year institution of higher learning. While I value knowledge-seeking in various settings [individual, household, community, educational, etc.], I tend to be more interested in working with knowledge-seeking and social justice outside the traditional academy. It seems Mills warns against such applied research in his detailing of liberal and illiberal practicalities. He feels those of liberal practicality tend to "think in terms of situations" and fail to challenge the status quo (p. 88). Those of illiberal practicality tend to be actually working within the bureaucratic system only focusing on the problems "chosen" by those with great power within the system (p. 96). Is it possible to be a sociologist working to change status quo through applied research?
September 17, 2016
C. Wright Mills, ABD akademisinin yalnız muhaliflerinden. 45 senelik kısa ömrüne Türkçede İktidar Seçkinleri ve Toplumbilimsel Düşün olarak bilinen sosyal bilimler kitaplarının yanısıra, Dinle Yankee gibi bir anti-emperyalist metni de sığdırmış. Uzun yıllar kendi halinde çalışmalar yaptıktan sonra, Küba Devrimi belli ki onu siyasi hayatta daha aktif olmaya itmiş. Hayatını sonlandıran kalp krizi de, katıldığı bir tartışma programında, emperyalizmin Latin Amerika politikasını eleştirdiği bir sırada bulmuş onu.
Sociological Imagination, Mills'in "İyi bir sosyal bilimci nasıl olmalı?" sorusuna verdiği yanıtlardan oluşuyor. Yazılmasının üzerinden neredeyse 60 yıl geçmiş ve bu süreçte akademi alanında önemli değişiklikler gerçekleşmiş olmasına rağmen, Mills'in sunduğu perspektifin temel unsurları hala geçerliliğini koruyor.
Kitap sosyal bilim felsefesinden sosyal bilimlerde çalışma tarzlarına kadar uzanan çok geniş bir alanı taradığı için, kısa bir özet sunmak mümkün değil. Ancak Mills'in başlıca argümanları şunlar:
1. Çağımızda insanların yaşadığı sorunların bireyselleştirilmesine karşı, bu sorunların ardındaki toplumsal mekanizmaları çözmek önemli. Bu da ancak incelenen toplumun yapısını çözümleyerek mümkün olur.
2. Sosyal bilimci, teoriler ve yöntemler üzerine düşünürken aşırıya kaçmamalıdır. Sosyal bilimcinin asıl sorunu bunlar değil, çağının insanlık açısından en önemli çelişkileridir. Sosyal bilimci, teorisini ve yöntemlerini, çağının bu çelişkilerini tespit etme, onları unsurlarına ayırma ve çözümler önerme süreci içerisinde mükemmelleştirir.
3. Cilalı sosyal bilim jargonu, küçük-burjuva akademisyenin arkasına saklandığı duvardır. Bilimselliğe değil, akademisyenin statüye duyduğu arzuya işaret eder. Oysa bir sosyal bilimci kendini toplumsal mücadelelerden ne kadar uzak tutarsa tutsun, yaptığı ve söylediği her şey zorunlu olarak, onun isteğinden bağımsız olarak bu mücadelede bir yer işgal eder.
4. Bu nedenle, sosyal bilimci alanın jargonuyla, süslü kavramlarıyla aşk yaşamaz. Sosyal bilim jargonu, ancak o kavramı kullanmak gerçekten algılarımızı etkiliyor, akıl yürütmemizi derinleştiriyorsa kullanılmalıdır.
5. Akademide var olan sosyoloji, psikoloji, tarih, ekonomi, antropoloji, felsefe uzmanlaşmaları yapay ve tesadüfidir. İyi bir sosyal bilimci bu yapay bölünmelerin kölesi olmaz. Yapay uzmanlıklar geliştirmez. O üzerine eğildiği sorunun uzmanıdır ve bunun için tüm alanlardan bir şeyler öğrenir.
Mills'in kitaba ek yaptığı son bölüm, her sosyal bilimci tarafından mutlaka okunması gereken bir makale: "Intellectual Craftsmanship". Mills burada iyi bir sosyal bilimcinin kendini nasıl yetiştirebileceğine, gelişimini nasıl takip edebileceğine dair çok güzel öneriler sunuyor.
Mills'in zaaflı gördüğüm yanları da yok değil. Bunlar içerisinden en önemlisi, kendi yalnız, başına buyruk ama siyaseten "kaygılı" küçük-burjuva akademisyen tavrını, tavırların en iyisi olarak göstermesi. Ona göre ideal akademisyen tipi, bağımsız çalışan, araştırma konularına kendi karar veren ama çalışmalarını daha anlaşılabilir kılarak, kamuya da ulaşmayı hedefleyen akademisyen. Oysa bu örgütsüz akademisyen tavrı, Mills'in kitap boyunca eleştirdiği tavra çok benziyor.
Sonuçta, Türkçeye Toplumbilimsel Düşün ya da Sosyolojik Tahayyül olarak çevrilen bu kitabı, her sosyal bilim öğrencisinin eleştirel bir şekilde okuması, ek bölümündeki önerileri de uygulaması çok faydalı olur.
Sociological Imagination, Mills'in "İyi bir sosyal bilimci nasıl olmalı?" sorusuna verdiği yanıtlardan oluşuyor. Yazılmasının üzerinden neredeyse 60 yıl geçmiş ve bu süreçte akademi alanında önemli değişiklikler gerçekleşmiş olmasına rağmen, Mills'in sunduğu perspektifin temel unsurları hala geçerliliğini koruyor.
Kitap sosyal bilim felsefesinden sosyal bilimlerde çalışma tarzlarına kadar uzanan çok geniş bir alanı taradığı için, kısa bir özet sunmak mümkün değil. Ancak Mills'in başlıca argümanları şunlar:
1. Çağımızda insanların yaşadığı sorunların bireyselleştirilmesine karşı, bu sorunların ardındaki toplumsal mekanizmaları çözmek önemli. Bu da ancak incelenen toplumun yapısını çözümleyerek mümkün olur.
2. Sosyal bilimci, teoriler ve yöntemler üzerine düşünürken aşırıya kaçmamalıdır. Sosyal bilimcinin asıl sorunu bunlar değil, çağının insanlık açısından en önemli çelişkileridir. Sosyal bilimci, teorisini ve yöntemlerini, çağının bu çelişkilerini tespit etme, onları unsurlarına ayırma ve çözümler önerme süreci içerisinde mükemmelleştirir.
3. Cilalı sosyal bilim jargonu, küçük-burjuva akademisyenin arkasına saklandığı duvardır. Bilimselliğe değil, akademisyenin statüye duyduğu arzuya işaret eder. Oysa bir sosyal bilimci kendini toplumsal mücadelelerden ne kadar uzak tutarsa tutsun, yaptığı ve söylediği her şey zorunlu olarak, onun isteğinden bağımsız olarak bu mücadelede bir yer işgal eder.
4. Bu nedenle, sosyal bilimci alanın jargonuyla, süslü kavramlarıyla aşk yaşamaz. Sosyal bilim jargonu, ancak o kavramı kullanmak gerçekten algılarımızı etkiliyor, akıl yürütmemizi derinleştiriyorsa kullanılmalıdır.
5. Akademide var olan sosyoloji, psikoloji, tarih, ekonomi, antropoloji, felsefe uzmanlaşmaları yapay ve tesadüfidir. İyi bir sosyal bilimci bu yapay bölünmelerin kölesi olmaz. Yapay uzmanlıklar geliştirmez. O üzerine eğildiği sorunun uzmanıdır ve bunun için tüm alanlardan bir şeyler öğrenir.
Mills'in kitaba ek yaptığı son bölüm, her sosyal bilimci tarafından mutlaka okunması gereken bir makale: "Intellectual Craftsmanship". Mills burada iyi bir sosyal bilimcinin kendini nasıl yetiştirebileceğine, gelişimini nasıl takip edebileceğine dair çok güzel öneriler sunuyor.
Mills'in zaaflı gördüğüm yanları da yok değil. Bunlar içerisinden en önemlisi, kendi yalnız, başına buyruk ama siyaseten "kaygılı" küçük-burjuva akademisyen tavrını, tavırların en iyisi olarak göstermesi. Ona göre ideal akademisyen tipi, bağımsız çalışan, araştırma konularına kendi karar veren ama çalışmalarını daha anlaşılabilir kılarak, kamuya da ulaşmayı hedefleyen akademisyen. Oysa bu örgütsüz akademisyen tavrı, Mills'in kitap boyunca eleştirdiği tavra çok benziyor.
Sonuçta, Türkçeye Toplumbilimsel Düşün ya da Sosyolojik Tahayyül olarak çevrilen bu kitabı, her sosyal bilim öğrencisinin eleştirel bir şekilde okuması, ek bölümündeki önerileri de uygulaması çok faydalı olur.
March 10, 2016
“Let every man be his own methodologist, let every man be his own theorist.”
“The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society.”
“Neither the life of an individual nor the history off a society can be understood without understanding both.”
― C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination
The Sociological Imagination is a classic sociological text published in 1959, three years before Mills died at the age of 45. The first half of it is essentially a polemic against the trends he sees in post-war sociology that he sees as divergent from classical humanistic sociology that sets out to solve real problems in the world. He has a problem with 1) Grand Theorists and their overally verbose and obtuse generalizations about the nature of the world and 2) “abstract empiricism” that is overally focused on methodology, preparing technocrats to serve bureaucracies such as corporations and the military to help them be, for instance “more efficient” in the work they set out to do rather than people in need. Mills wants his humanistic sociology to have some theory, but have it grounded in the world’s problems. He thinks, like Foucault, that power and social stratification are good things to focus on as ways of understanding society. He also admired and was influenced by Marx.
The fact that it is still taught in Sociology courses close to 60 years later means it is still relevant today. It’s very readable, not too long, and concludes with a chapter focused on examples of Mills’ own work in an attempt to model what he believes in. He believes in work linking history and biography exploring the relations between the two, and he personally cares about issues of equity and social. He’s essentially a pragmatist, skeptical of theory, committed to democratic ideals, reason, freedom and the imagination. Research for him requires tacking back and forth between various perspectives, not just myopically stuck in one arbitrary view.
I read it with four friends. We talked about it in a bar. We drank wine. We had fun. We liked the book.
“The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society.”
“Neither the life of an individual nor the history off a society can be understood without understanding both.”
― C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination
The Sociological Imagination is a classic sociological text published in 1959, three years before Mills died at the age of 45. The first half of it is essentially a polemic against the trends he sees in post-war sociology that he sees as divergent from classical humanistic sociology that sets out to solve real problems in the world. He has a problem with 1) Grand Theorists and their overally verbose and obtuse generalizations about the nature of the world and 2) “abstract empiricism” that is overally focused on methodology, preparing technocrats to serve bureaucracies such as corporations and the military to help them be, for instance “more efficient” in the work they set out to do rather than people in need. Mills wants his humanistic sociology to have some theory, but have it grounded in the world’s problems. He thinks, like Foucault, that power and social stratification are good things to focus on as ways of understanding society. He also admired and was influenced by Marx.
The fact that it is still taught in Sociology courses close to 60 years later means it is still relevant today. It’s very readable, not too long, and concludes with a chapter focused on examples of Mills’ own work in an attempt to model what he believes in. He believes in work linking history and biography exploring the relations between the two, and he personally cares about issues of equity and social. He’s essentially a pragmatist, skeptical of theory, committed to democratic ideals, reason, freedom and the imagination. Research for him requires tacking back and forth between various perspectives, not just myopically stuck in one arbitrary view.
I read it with four friends. We talked about it in a bar. We drank wine. We had fun. We liked the book.
December 22, 2007
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 "get it" and when I finished the last chapter I wanted to pump my fist in the air and join the revolution. I would recommend this for anyone who works in sociology or science that deals with humans. It gives a prescription for how to view problems and solutions within society, instead of assuming that they exist in a vacuum.
November 1, 2013
There's a scene early in Crime of Passion (1957, Barbara Stanwyck, Sterling Hayden, Raymond Burr) when a newspaper advice columnist named Kathy (Stanwyck), a self-confident, independent, unmarried dame, is trying to cover a story about a woman who has killed her husband. A police chief comes into the press room and Kathy tries to get some information out of him. He says, "What are you doing here? You should be at home with your children, cooking your husband dinner." Sadly, Kathy does not at that point reach down and twist his testicles in a full circle while pushing a stapler up his nose. In fact, she says nothing, preferring to avenge herself in a sneakier manner. But the line went into me like a knife, and so it is with The Sociological Imagination. Though I'm guessing Mills was unaware of what he was doing, in these mid-century books the world consists only of men (and one mention of Karen Horney). Only men are doing the important things, becoming sociologists, becoming academics, studying the bureaucratic ethos, researching Weber and Parsons and Veblen, earning salaries. Any woman who was able not just to exist in a world like this but to get an advanced education, have a career, succeed in a profession, ignoring all the language around her referring to men, men, men, men, a man, a man, a man, a man - language which says "this world is not for you" - my hat is off to her.
Sometimes commentators many years after a book is published will note such sexist language ruefully, but Todd Gitlin in his Afterword seems oblivious to it.
The book was deeply boring. I'm not a sociologist, but I have read enough sociology (Weber, Veblen, Durkheim, others) to sustain at least a vague interest in it, and I couldn't manage that here.
July 7, 2008
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 studying sociology (grand theory and abstracted empiricism), and then goes on to delineate the sociological imagination—a way of studying society that factors in historical, political and individual factors, that does not get too lofty with grandiose theories and abstractions nor too mired in the numbers and statistics of abstracted empiricism. He then writes about the need for the sociological imagination in today’s society, in relation to our reason and freedom, our democracy and politics. The appendix provides some guidance on how to conduct such research. Though Mill had a few touches of elitism to him, it was so refreshing to read someone who had a vision for social sciences (and for the academy) that mandates relevance to society at large and the individual.
To summarize his stance on the subject: “Our public life now often rests upon such official definitions, as well as upon myths and lies and crackbrained notions. When many politics- debated and undebated – are based on inadequate and misleading definitions of reality, then those who are out to define reality more adequately are bound to be upsetting influences. … Such is the role of mind, of study, of intellect, of reason, of ideas: to define reality adequately and in a publicly relevant way. The educational and the political role of social science in a democracy is to help cultivate and sustain public and individuals that are able to develop, to live with, and to act upon adequate definitions of personal and social realities.”
To summarize his stance on the subject: “Our public life now often rests upon such official definitions, as well as upon myths and lies and crackbrained notions. When many politics- debated and undebated – are based on inadequate and misleading definitions of reality, then those who are out to define reality more adequately are bound to be upsetting influences. … Such is the role of mind, of study, of intellect, of reason, of ideas: to define reality adequately and in a publicly relevant way. The educational and the political role of social science in a democracy is to help cultivate and sustain public and individuals that are able to develop, to live with, and to act upon adequate definitions of personal and social realities.”
September 4, 2019
Brilliant in a way that you can read this book for:
(i) critiques in the sociological tradition, of those of the classics school vs the grand theorist/abstracted empiricism;
(ii) a guidance for better theses project/writing as in appendix (On Intellectual Craftsmanship);
(iii) elucidation of the prioritisation of social structure in the study of society (compared to ibn khaldun muqaddimah);
(iv) study of history, following the demand of comparative and historical approach;
(v) just for intellectual exercise for the large part of it (felt like should've read this long time ago).
(i) critiques in the sociological tradition, of those of the classics school vs the grand theorist/abstracted empiricism;
(ii) a guidance for better theses project/writing as in appendix (On Intellectual Craftsmanship);
(iii) elucidation of the prioritisation of social structure in the study of society (compared to ibn khaldun muqaddimah);
(iv) study of history, following the demand of comparative and historical approach;
(v) just for intellectual exercise for the large part of it (felt like should've read this long time ago).
September 19, 2022
Even since my college days, people have been telling me I should read C. Wright Mills' The Sociological Imagination, in the past I'd been picking up this book and then putting it down until a few days ago I finally pushed myself to finish the Chinese translation before I had to return the book to the library.
It's not a book that introduces you to sociology and its concepts, it's a book instructing you on what sociology and sociologist should be in a world where individuals feel increasingly powerless and confused.
The true missions of sociology:
(1) Try to save the world!
(2) Help people to eventually self-educate!
(3) Build a more liberated society even when the reality isn't quite up there yet!
...and there are many more, you can find it out yourself!
I hope you are starting to feel a bit more excited now. XD
It's not a book that introduces you to sociology and its concepts, it's a book instructing you on what sociology and sociologist should be in a world where individuals feel increasingly powerless and confused.
The true missions of sociology:
(1) Try to save the world!
(2) Help people to eventually self-educate!
(3) Build a more liberated society even when the reality isn't quite up there yet!
...and there are many more, you can find it out yourself!
I hope you are starting to feel a bit more excited now. XD
April 4, 2008
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 - rather than considering larger, structural forces at play - captures the predominance of reductionist thinking in American society.
Just as timely today as it was over fifty years ago, it continues to be an excellent introduction to the discipline of sociology and how to think sociologically.
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 - rather than considering larger, structural forces at play - captures the predominance of reductionist thinking in American society.
Just as timely today as it was over fifty years ago, it continues to be an excellent introduction to the discipline of sociology and how to think sociologically.
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August 25, 2012Think of this as a manifesto for the social sciences. Its key points: think critically, always consider ideological implications, and think holistically but pay close attention to the evidence. Mills was a remarkable thinker, and he shows why the social sciences have something to say about the world we live in. And, unlike many of his fellow Marxist writers, he has no patience for jargon or obscurantism. It's a clarion call for action that retains all of its power to this day.
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August 16, 2025This book is a readable practitioner’s guide for sociologists with a critical lens applied to both “grand theory” and “abstracted empiricism.” In addition, Professor Mills wrote a passionate challenge for academics throughout the social sciences to rise above career-minded, conformist mediocrity, to push the boundaries of knowledge. That he was highly judgemental of his own academy played well in my mind; moreover, his words largely ring true sixty-five years following their initial publication, sufficient reasons to file this away on the shelf of great works, a remarkable achievement for a man who died at the age of forty-five.
As he wrote of the importance of responsibility and reason within a democracy, he touched on many themes that appear prominent today, which included the roles of technology, bureaucracy, and academic specialization. This last phenomenon has led to elite archipelagoes that rely on languages unintelligible to the general public. I believe these three trends have become only more apparent with time and partly account for the noticeable scouring of our political foundation.
The author asks not just the academic, but all citizens to do better, for an enfranchised member of society has a civic duty to be informed and then to act within the corridors of reason. That wish feels distant today. In particular, the effects of base entertainments – especially the community theatre hosted behind the marquee of our current presidential administration – and sanctioned corruption, or what was formally known as corruption, at the highest levels of government, seem significant obstacles to this vision. While there was a degree of pessimism in these pages, perhaps Professor Mills was not pessimistic enough.
A common theme connects notable novels and important works of nonfiction through time: if we wrap our minds around broad, systemic ailments that afflict our culture, we can collectively work to remedy them, for surely all will agree that obvious wrongs must be righted, that the aberrant should be hip-checked into the acceptable through understanding and awareness. At this moment, I do not believe this postulate is true, although to me it should be self-evident. I see enough data to conclude that while a large portion of our citizens support a desire for social progress, substantial numbers have other ideas – note the fervid energy associated with anti-intellectualism, as one data point. Many appear to scoff – a derision justified in part – at the scent of hubris that accompanies rhetoric from an uninvited, brainy noblesse oblige. If this criticism of meritocratic liberalism is valid, then the motives that underlie the quest for social advancement must be questioned; if the plurality does not care for a better world, however defined, then those who seek to make it so may have joined in an absurd, myopic undertaking.
As to the physical product before me, the publisher of my paperback edition, Oxford University Press, I suspect used a print-on-demand service, or a printer whose standards came close to print-on-demand quality. The fonts appeared as if they came from my home laser printer in draft mode. While Professor Mills anticipated many issues that would confront future generations, a fuzzy type face was not one of them.
As he wrote of the importance of responsibility and reason within a democracy, he touched on many themes that appear prominent today, which included the roles of technology, bureaucracy, and academic specialization. This last phenomenon has led to elite archipelagoes that rely on languages unintelligible to the general public. I believe these three trends have become only more apparent with time and partly account for the noticeable scouring of our political foundation.
The author asks not just the academic, but all citizens to do better, for an enfranchised member of society has a civic duty to be informed and then to act within the corridors of reason. That wish feels distant today. In particular, the effects of base entertainments – especially the community theatre hosted behind the marquee of our current presidential administration – and sanctioned corruption, or what was formally known as corruption, at the highest levels of government, seem significant obstacles to this vision. While there was a degree of pessimism in these pages, perhaps Professor Mills was not pessimistic enough.
A common theme connects notable novels and important works of nonfiction through time: if we wrap our minds around broad, systemic ailments that afflict our culture, we can collectively work to remedy them, for surely all will agree that obvious wrongs must be righted, that the aberrant should be hip-checked into the acceptable through understanding and awareness. At this moment, I do not believe this postulate is true, although to me it should be self-evident. I see enough data to conclude that while a large portion of our citizens support a desire for social progress, substantial numbers have other ideas – note the fervid energy associated with anti-intellectualism, as one data point. Many appear to scoff – a derision justified in part – at the scent of hubris that accompanies rhetoric from an uninvited, brainy noblesse oblige. If this criticism of meritocratic liberalism is valid, then the motives that underlie the quest for social advancement must be questioned; if the plurality does not care for a better world, however defined, then those who seek to make it so may have joined in an absurd, myopic undertaking.
As to the physical product before me, the publisher of my paperback edition, Oxford University Press, I suspect used a print-on-demand service, or a printer whose standards came close to print-on-demand quality. The fonts appeared as if they came from my home laser printer in draft mode. While Professor Mills anticipated many issues that would confront future generations, a fuzzy type face was not one of them.
February 16, 2022
A polemic defense of the vocation of sociology against vulgar empiricism and empty abstraction. Also, a sociological analysis of the power structures (universities, corporate bureaucracies, ...) which incentivize these unimaginative forms of research.
December 27, 2023
I like how Mills formulates his arguments and writes them in such a smooth manner. This book didn’t quite reach the levels of The Power Elite for me, but it was still a solid piece of work. I really liked the beginning with his definitions of the sociological imagination and the argument that individuals cannot be blamed for or expected to fix structural issues. The middle is a bit of a slog, as it mostly turns into a critique of academia and the social sciences; he makes good points, but it didn’t hold my attention all that much. I did enjoy the strong finish with alienation and freedom though.
“In so far as an economy is so arranged that slumps occur, the problem of unemployment becomes incapable of personal solution. In so far as war is inherent in the nation-state system and in the uneven industrialization of the world, the ordinary individual in his restricted milieu will be powerless—with or without psychiatric aid—to solve the troubles this system or lack of system imposes upon him. In so far as the family as an institution turns women into darling little slaves and men into their chief providers and unweaned dependents, the problem of a satisfactory marriage remains incapable of purely private solution”
“In so far as an economy is so arranged that slumps occur, the problem of unemployment becomes incapable of personal solution. In so far as war is inherent in the nation-state system and in the uneven industrialization of the world, the ordinary individual in his restricted milieu will be powerless—with or without psychiatric aid—to solve the troubles this system or lack of system imposes upon him. In so far as the family as an institution turns women into darling little slaves and men into their chief providers and unweaned dependents, the problem of a satisfactory marriage remains incapable of purely private solution”
September 13, 2021
Mills se positionne ici contre deux positions : les théoriciens (c'est à dire ceux qui sans véritable travail empirique, délivre de grandes visions de la société dans son ensemble) et les empiricistes (c'est à dire ceux notamment Paul Lazarsfeld que l'on peut connaître l'ensemble du comportement humain en multipliant les études empiriques notamment via la sociologie électorale). Son argument est l'idée que le rôle de la sociologie est d'amener non pas à comprendre les invariants du comportement humain, ni à donner des leçons, mais bien à réaliser un travail résolument comparatiste, s'appuyant sur les autres disciplines, via une connaissance de la littérature (sans s'y "noyer" comme le dit Mills), pour comprendre la diversité des modes de vie, des cultures etc, à travers le monde.
Résolument novateur cette essai est aussi un essai politique puisque Mills critique à raison, les sociologues bureaucratique, qui finissent par se penser en conseiller du roi, et à fournir des indications visant à faire de l'ingénierie humaine (je traduis), et à créer des dispositifs de contrôle et de régulation, pour éviter les tensions sociales.
Il appelle à renouer avec les ambitions de sociologie classique, française, allemande, anglaise, pour comprendre la société et ses structures, pour montrer la limite mais aussi la fécondité des possibles historiques.
Résolument novateur cette essai est aussi un essai politique puisque Mills critique à raison, les sociologues bureaucratique, qui finissent par se penser en conseiller du roi, et à fournir des indications visant à faire de l'ingénierie humaine (je traduis), et à créer des dispositifs de contrôle et de régulation, pour éviter les tensions sociales.
Il appelle à renouer avec les ambitions de sociologie classique, française, allemande, anglaise, pour comprendre la société et ses structures, pour montrer la limite mais aussi la fécondité des possibles historiques.
March 28, 2014
This is one of the best known works of sociology and the highlight of Mills' impressive career. I've seen excerpts from Chapter 1 (An inspirational essay on "The Promise" of sociology) and the Appendix (A student's guide to the dos and don'ts and the author's helpful suggestions "On Intellectual Craftsmanship") in various introductory classes, course packets, and textbook anthologies of selected readings.
Between the oft-referenced first and last sections lay a scathing critique and intelligent treatise on the contemporary (and I might even suggest current) state of the social sciences. His conception of the "Sociological Imagination" is more than a buzzword; it is a vehicle to a much broader but still realistic understanding of WHAT exactly the problems of society are and HOW we may go about studying them.
Mills lambasts the two extremes of Grand Theory's untestable and overly-syntactic nebulousness, and Abstract Empiricism's unquestioning analyses of abstract and subjective data and its unhealthy preoccupation with methodology. He accuses researchers of too often bending to the biases of the institutions of which they are a part, or, perhaps more grievously, to those supplying the money. This has led to a bureaucratization of the research process and enables the growth of ideological cliques, robbing the social sciences of their cherished spirit of free inquiry.
What social science truly boils down to, Mills argues, is the study of "the human variety, which consists of all the social worlds in which men have lived, are living, and might live". We cannot do this without considering the social structures that compose these social worlds, or more broadly, the relationships and patterns of interaction that define them. We must also consider history--our modern-day social milieux and social problems didn't just come out of nowhere, and it's entirely possible that they developed and/or existed in a different form in another time and another place.
Curiously, Mills himself is aware that contemporary society is changing ("We are at the ending of what is called The Modern Age... [which] is being succeeded by a post-modern period") and has much to say on where he perceives our concerns and values shifting.
This book is deep, yet practical. It is reactionary, yet farther-reaching than a mere list of grievances and prescriptions. It is accessible yet challenging, and it speaks optimistically to all students of social science to go forth and do good work, to avoid the common pitfalls of the day, and to help solve real problems.
Between the oft-referenced first and last sections lay a scathing critique and intelligent treatise on the contemporary (and I might even suggest current) state of the social sciences. His conception of the "Sociological Imagination" is more than a buzzword; it is a vehicle to a much broader but still realistic understanding of WHAT exactly the problems of society are and HOW we may go about studying them.
Mills lambasts the two extremes of Grand Theory's untestable and overly-syntactic nebulousness, and Abstract Empiricism's unquestioning analyses of abstract and subjective data and its unhealthy preoccupation with methodology. He accuses researchers of too often bending to the biases of the institutions of which they are a part, or, perhaps more grievously, to those supplying the money. This has led to a bureaucratization of the research process and enables the growth of ideological cliques, robbing the social sciences of their cherished spirit of free inquiry.
What social science truly boils down to, Mills argues, is the study of "the human variety, which consists of all the social worlds in which men have lived, are living, and might live". We cannot do this without considering the social structures that compose these social worlds, or more broadly, the relationships and patterns of interaction that define them. We must also consider history--our modern-day social milieux and social problems didn't just come out of nowhere, and it's entirely possible that they developed and/or existed in a different form in another time and another place.
Curiously, Mills himself is aware that contemporary society is changing ("We are at the ending of what is called The Modern Age... [which] is being succeeded by a post-modern period") and has much to say on where he perceives our concerns and values shifting.
This book is deep, yet practical. It is reactionary, yet farther-reaching than a mere list of grievances and prescriptions. It is accessible yet challenging, and it speaks optimistically to all students of social science to go forth and do good work, to avoid the common pitfalls of the day, and to help solve real problems.
January 1, 2019
من أهم المبادئ التي تعلمتها في الجامعة عن المجتمع ومشاكله..
حتى أنني لا أنفك أتكلم عن هذا المبدأ في أوراقي البحثية كما سأكتب عنها في رسالتي للماستر..
يؤصل الكاتب لهذا المصطلح من خلال بعض الأمثلة كما التحليل الفلسفي..
المخيلة الاجتماعية هي ببساطة تلك القدرة عند المجتمع وأفراده على رؤية نفسهم كمجتمع له مستقبل..
حتى أنني لا أنفك أتكلم عن هذا المبدأ في أوراقي البحثية كما سأكتب عنها في رسالتي للماستر..
يؤصل الكاتب لهذا المصطلح من خلال بعض الأمثلة كما التحليل الفلسفي..
المخيلة الاجتماعية هي ببساطة تلك القدرة عند المجتمع وأفراده على رؤية نفسهم كمجتمع له مستقبل..
February 1, 2015
I'm writing a paper for the New York State Sociological Association and am going to use Mills as one piece of my theoretical foundation. His book is a pretty interesting look at sociology that matters and tries to make change as well as the interplay that happens between the individual (biographical) and the societal (historical) when making change. It also has some interesting parallels with journalism that I want to explore further.
For instance, Mills talks about sociologists who have become technicians in the service of power rather than to humanity; journalists, for-profit/corporate ones at least, tend to create fictions out of reality that conform to the needs of power/societal institutions instead of writing about reality and demanding the kinds of changes needed to give everyone in society the dignity and material support that they need. Objectivity can get tossed in here as well at this point. Again, objectivity and its questionable usefulness when doing sociology is raised by Mills just as objectivity is raised when journalists try to write to change the world (as in being biased) rather than pretend they have no interest in the topic and are thus objective. Mind you there are a slew of constraints in journalism, just as there are in academic institutions. Quick read and pretty straightforward. Accessible. I enjoyed.
For instance, Mills talks about sociologists who have become technicians in the service of power rather than to humanity; journalists, for-profit/corporate ones at least, tend to create fictions out of reality that conform to the needs of power/societal institutions instead of writing about reality and demanding the kinds of changes needed to give everyone in society the dignity and material support that they need. Objectivity can get tossed in here as well at this point. Again, objectivity and its questionable usefulness when doing sociology is raised by Mills just as objectivity is raised when journalists try to write to change the world (as in being biased) rather than pretend they have no interest in the topic and are thus objective. Mind you there are a slew of constraints in journalism, just as there are in academic institutions. Quick read and pretty straightforward. Accessible. I enjoyed.
April 17, 2011
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 trying to say?), the formation of our work (has it been biased?), and so forth.
Mills focuses a great deal on the connection between personal troubles and public issues (coming from the idea of the biography within the history--we have to look at how an individual's experiences are effected by their context, and in this case we have to consider that many personal problems stem from larger social issues) and the sociological imagination. Both, in my opinion, are important tools for anyone in an area related to social science.
Mills reminds us that we can't sell out, that we ought to push the envelope and be fearless in our exploration of social issues, and that we must, overall, be mindful and critique ourselves and our work. It is certainly a message worth hearing.
Mills focuses a great deal on the connection between personal troubles and public issues (coming from the idea of the biography within the history--we have to look at how an individual's experiences are effected by their context, and in this case we have to consider that many personal problems stem from larger social issues) and the sociological imagination. Both, in my opinion, are important tools for anyone in an area related to social science.
Mills reminds us that we can't sell out, that we ought to push the envelope and be fearless in our exploration of social issues, and that we must, overall, be mindful and critique ourselves and our work. It is certainly a message worth hearing.
December 27, 2007
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 toolkit for starting to understand what is going on in our complex world. If Mills is not the smartest author I've read recently he is certainly one of the clearest thinkers.
Though I wouldn't recommend it to everyone and it's certainly not light reading, it provides an excellent toolkit for starting to understand what is going on in our complex world. If Mills is not the smartest author I've read recently he is certainly one of the clearest thinkers.
June 20, 2007
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.
November 26, 2020
Okay so I don't really know how to rate this book or what to say about it. First of all, it took me such a long time to get through it because at times it was really "boring" and "academic", and it was something that I was reading on the side for literally a year.
However, objectively, it is a really fantastic piece of work. Mills basically describes what the social sciences are and how students should go about studying them. He also describes of course what the sociological imagination is and how to bridge the gap between personal and public issues. I believe this book holds up pretty well to the test of time, I only wrote a few things in the margins about outdated ideas from when this book was written. I also wish Mills had a more definite view on things rather than always contradicting himself. But I guess that's what a lot of what social sciences is anyway, saying one thing and then saying, "buuuuut, on the other hand..." because there really aren't any definitive answers when it comes to society.
This is probably the worst review of this book IN HISTORY, but overall I really loved it especially while reading it alongside getting a degree in sociology and social policy!
However, objectively, it is a really fantastic piece of work. Mills basically describes what the social sciences are and how students should go about studying them. He also describes of course what the sociological imagination is and how to bridge the gap between personal and public issues. I believe this book holds up pretty well to the test of time, I only wrote a few things in the margins about outdated ideas from when this book was written. I also wish Mills had a more definite view on things rather than always contradicting himself. But I guess that's what a lot of what social sciences is anyway, saying one thing and then saying, "buuuuut, on the other hand..." because there really aren't any definitive answers when it comes to society.
This is probably the worst review of this book IN HISTORY, but overall I really loved it especially while reading it alongside getting a degree in sociology and social policy!
January 28, 2019
Compulsory reading for my summer university paper but a genuinely great book. Nothing groundbreaking (for me) but definitely reinforces that I’m looking at the world through the right lens.
December 4, 2020
Review coming up
May 11, 2024
I felt the most connected to the appendix of this text — weird feeling but still happy about its value. As for the main text, I felt a little disconnected and confused at times. Part of this was likely due to listening to the audiobook (at a higher speed, of course lol) and a disconnect from the historical/sociological context. Upon reading a synopsis after finishing, I realized that I understood the text fine but was expecting a deeper through-line that wasn’t really present. Thinking I had missed that imperative, I had a sense of unease that I wasn’t grasping the big picture as I digested. In reality, the main thrust is a concept I already hold fundamentally; the importance of the sociological imagination, aka the ability to think outside our individual selves and connect to communities around us, thinking more deeply and less short-sightedly (narrowly). The appendix was really what I loved, however. It gave great advice (that I strive to follow eventually lol) to create an informal portfolio of notes and ideas from engagement in the field. I’d like to apply that but will need to dedicate myself to the task since it takes an added layer of energy and commitment. I know it would be highly valuable and useful to reference for future work though.
December 9, 2019
Every time I come to a writing standstill, I revisit C Wright Mills, especially his essay "On intellectual craftsmanship" and it always manages to recharge my research.
November 11, 2024
Reading this as I was working through my exams for my PhD candidacy. Though I’ve read parts before, in its entirety, it is a book every social scientist should read once a year if not more. It brings you back into focus. I will begin teaching soon and the Appendix on Intellectual Craftmenship will probably be required reading for every graduate student, lab member, and research methods student I have for my entire career.
January 21, 2025
A great introduction into the topic of sociology. Although the book isn't new, a lot of ideas felt actual, especially for our Romanian society. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in sociology or wants to understand why social systems work a certain way.
February 22, 2017
The first hundred or so pages deal with abstract sociological theory that C. Wright Mills argues are missing the forest for the trees. He posits two then-popular modes of thought, which were abstract empiricism and the grand theory. His arguments against these modes of thought make sense: for example, there can't be a grand theory of sociology because, cliched as it seems, every person is different and unique. Every person is, thus, mutable. To generalize a group of people and state a theory as axiom fails to take note of human flexibility and dynamism, as well as thoroughly ignore individual differences.
On the other hand, abstract empiricism is equally asinine: excessive focus on the minutiae, in pursuit of the 'scientific method' is equally baneful because the minutiae sometimes preclude the scientist from a significant observation. There must be creativity and independence of thought in the establishment of sociological theory, and any grand, sweeping notions should be avoided: Mills' sociological imagination is one's reliance on the pursuit of knowledge steeped in sensible, human drives. By stating one's thesis in simple, understandable terms and not aggrandizing one's observations, one can contribute to the study of how certain human beings relate with each other. And that is sociology.
On the other hand, abstract empiricism is equally asinine: excessive focus on the minutiae, in pursuit of the 'scientific method' is equally baneful because the minutiae sometimes preclude the scientist from a significant observation. There must be creativity and independence of thought in the establishment of sociological theory, and any grand, sweeping notions should be avoided: Mills' sociological imagination is one's reliance on the pursuit of knowledge steeped in sensible, human drives. By stating one's thesis in simple, understandable terms and not aggrandizing one's observations, one can contribute to the study of how certain human beings relate with each other. And that is sociology.
January 19, 2008
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 his helpful career tips in the appendix.
Main points to the book: Sociology occurs at the intersection between biography and history, between personal troubles and public issues. Grand theory is so concerned with Concepts wrapped up in garble that it forgets to ask whether the Concepts are reflected in everyday life. Abstract empiricism (micro statistics) is so focused on collecting facts that it forgets to ask whether this smorgasbord of facts matters to everyday life. As a sociologist, don't be directed by the values of others, but don't be afraid of values either. In fact, you should value the politics of truth, freedom, and reason. Don't be hindered by methods or discipline boundaries, be your own craftsman of sociology. And keep a file system. Lol.
Main points to the book: Sociology occurs at the intersection between biography and history, between personal troubles and public issues. Grand theory is so concerned with Concepts wrapped up in garble that it forgets to ask whether the Concepts are reflected in everyday life. Abstract empiricism (micro statistics) is so focused on collecting facts that it forgets to ask whether this smorgasbord of facts matters to everyday life. As a sociologist, don't be directed by the values of others, but don't be afraid of values either. In fact, you should value the politics of truth, freedom, and reason. Don't be hindered by methods or discipline boundaries, be your own craftsman of sociology. And keep a file system. Lol.
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