An Inaugural Lecture by Professor Robert Dingwall: Public Sociology: Politics, Postures and Practice

In the UK, sociology has long had a poor public image. In contrast to the US, for example, we do not see car bumper stickers proclaiming the driver’s pride in their field of study. This lecture contrasts the mission of sociology as a science of society with its abuse to justify particular moral and political positions. It argues for a more respectful attitude to empirical data, of all kinds, and for a less dogmatic view of what would constitute a good society. The study of sociology is not a route to telling everyone else what is good for them. It does, however, help a society to understand itself better and to appreciate the consequences of its moral and political choices. That is a role which is available to anyone who chooses to listen.