Public Sociology, Engaged Scholarship, and Community Organizing

Public sociology is a dialogue between social scientists and society about how to understand the present and how to shape the future. This article seeks to contribute in three ways to recent initiatives promoting public sociology. First, by developing a broader concept of engaged social science that includes public sociology and policy or applied sociology, which solves specific social problems. Second, by suggesting ways to move toward greater engagement. Projects centered on creating new theory, the core work of professional sociology, can incorporate elements of engaged work. Policyoriented projects can grow to include the larger dialogues of public sociology. Third, by suggesting ways to manage tensions and create synergies between professional and engaged social science. These ideas are based on a project on community organizing that includes professional research and partnerships centered on policy and public sociology. The article concludes that the movement for more engaged social science should connect with similar initiatives outside the discipline if it is to be effective at individual and institutional levels. © 2006, Association for Applied Social Science. All rights reserved.