Identifying with public sociology, this chapter notes that those “who are most likely to commit to public sociology have had experiences that provide them with a distinctive view of social inequality.” While sociologists should continue to practice public sociology, it can be worrying whether institutionalizing public sociology will simply foster a kind of sociological ghettoization, primarily because those who gravitate toward public sociology may already hold subordinate status within the discipline itself. At a moment when anything associated with the “public” has given ground to massive...

Identifying with public sociology, this chapter notes that those “who are most likely to commit to public sociology have had experiences that provide them with a distinctive view of social inequality.” While sociologists should continue to practice public sociology, it can be worrying whether institutionalizing public sociology will simply foster a kind of sociological ghettoization, primarily because those who gravitate toward public sociology may already hold subordinate status within the discipline itself. At a moment when anything associated with the “public” has given ground to massive efforts at privatization, naming public sociology may merely install a permanent and recognizable underclass within sociology, burdened with a stigmatized term.