Public sociology

Public sociology is a subfield of the wider sociological discipline that was popularized by University of California-Berkeley professor Michael Burawoy in his 2004 Presidential Address to the American Sociological Association in order to engage with wider, non-academic audiences. It is perhaps best understood as a style of sociology rather than a particular method, theory, or set of political values. Since the twenty-first century, the term has been widely associated with University of California, Berkeley sociologist Michael Burawoy, who delivered an impassioned call for a disciplinary embrace of public sociology in his 2004 American Sociological Association (ASA) presidential address. In his address, Burawoy contrasts public sociology with what he terms "professional sociology," a form of sociology that is concerned primarily with addressing other academic sociologists.