The Sociological Imagination

Running Head : SOCIOLOGY

The Sociological Imagination

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Word Count : 3790 The Sociological Imagination

Abstract

This provides explanation of Sociological Imagination concept based on Wright Mills ' prominent writing of 1959 . Firstly , the describes the key points of Mills ' work . Then summarizes Mills 's view of what makes good sociological theory and empirical research along with his methodology . The not simply summarizes ideas in text or but rather show how they are used in both theory and research In addition , the focuses on evaluating the

work of others sociologists , such as Giddens and Dandaneau within the Sociological Imagination framework . Moreover the discusses and evaluates other theorists and published empirical work using Mills 's as a guide Finally , some conclusive remarks are presented

Introduction

C . Wright Mills (1916-19 62 , sociologist , social critic , and political radical , was one of the most significant and prominent thinkers of his generation and a role model for the 1960s student movement . A social critic with a mass audience , Mills was also a crucial and controversial figure within the social sciences . In his major work - The Sociological Imagination (1959 ) - and a host of lesser writings , Mills made a significant mark on American social thought . Mills introduces the concept of the sociological imagination with the claims that "the facts of contemporary history are also facts about the success and the failure of individual men and women . Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both (3 . In the post-modern U .S , Mills claims , a vague uneasiness or indifference to public issues afflict many individuals . The solution argues Mills , is the sociological imagination , described as follows

The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals . It enables [him /her] to take into account how individuals , in the welter of their daily experience , often become falsely conscious of their social positions Within that welter , the framework of modern society is sought , and within that framework the psychologies of a variety of men and women are formulated . By such means the personal uneasiness of individuals is focused upon explicit troubles and the indifference of publics is transformed into involvement with public issues (5 . People with well-developed sociological imaginations are conscious of connections among Mills ' three "coordinate points " of history , biography , and social structure , each distinct from yet understood in relation to the other two

The Sociological Imagination of Wright Mills

Wright Mills , whose 1959 book The Sociological Imagination puts forth sociological consciousness as a quality of mind necessary for meaningful social science research . In Chapter 1 of The Sociological Imagination Mills introduces the notion of the sociological imagination in the context of the post-WWII era , which is described as a time when uneasiness and indifference gripped both everyday life and the social sciences . The sociological imagination , Mills thought , was beginning to emerge as...