Conference proceeding
Private Sociology: An Empowering New Option
American Sociological Association
01 Jan 1996
Abstract
Private sociology is a bold new first-person approach that dares to study that which we hestitate to tell, ie, topics we do not rush to include in our resumes, or topics that are not the first, the second, or even the third thing we mention about ourselves, our significant others, our careers, or our research preoccupations. Like more formal autobiographical sociology, private sociology speaks in the first-person voice, but it does so with less restraint & does not exclude unsettling topics that give either speaker or listener pause. It directs sociological attention to matters commonly slighted. Proponents believe valuable sociological lessons can be wrong from unsightly material, from the untidy & uncomfortable aspects of their own lives. They expect hard-nosed prudes & puritans to stammer & fume. They persist nevertheless in processing through their discipline relatively "high voltage" aspects of their lives, without cuteness, sensationalism, or treacly sentiment. Private sociology combines often vexing disclosures with field-tested remedial prescriptions, & helps thereby to underline creative responses that exist to a wide range of closeted challenges. Above all, it recommends more candor, courage, & introspection.
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Details
- Title
- Private Sociology: An Empowering New Option
- Creators
- Arthur Shostak
- Publication Details
- American Sociological Association
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Sociology; Culture and Communication [Historical]
- Identifiers
- 991020705446904721