Public Sociology ― From Social Facts to Literary Acts

"Sociology is writing for publication that advances academic careers." (from chapter one). In this text for students and practitioners, Agger critically examines academic sociology as a form of story-telling, and looks at method as a kind of literary style. His analysis is structured around six main concepts, five of which derive from postmodern perspectives on disciplinarity and discourse. The second edition concludes with a new chapter on how the "public sociology" movement is currently challenging--or perhaps being co-opted by--mainstream sociology. Editor Agger teaches sociology at the U. of Texas at Arlington. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ben Agger is Professor of Sociology and Humanities at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also directs the Center for Theory. He edits the electronic journalFast Capitalism (www.fastcapitalism.com). Among his recent books are Postponing the Postmodern,Speeding Up Fast Capitalism, Fast Families, and Virtual Children (with Beth Anne Shelton).