[Editor’s Note: In FAQs Posts, I’m going to take a stab at answering questions I see on the sociology subreddit. The advantage of writing here, as opposed to in the comments section, is that I can fully explore an argument without breaking the unspoken word limit of the comments section.]
Answering the question, “what is sociology,” is the task of a thoughtfully conceived, introductory course. In the future, I’m going to write why I believe that thoughtfully conceived, sociology courses are rare. Some of the difficulty in answering this question — for Redditors and instructors alike — is best appreciated using concepts taught in more advance sociological courses.
For example, students in more advanced courses are taught about the concept of “myth and ceremony.”Sociology departments are nestled within universities. Universities are an example of “formal organizational structures,” which does not refer to the buildings, the land, and other physical objects associated with universities. Formal organizational structures are “blueprints,” or plans for how to carry out some task. As anyone who has tried to assemble furniture can tell you, “blueprints” aren’t always followed — even when we try our best. Regardless, the public (i.e., those outside the organization) has ideas about what goes on inside organizations and what purpose organizations serve in society. These ideas are a form of “institutional myths” (the use of myth here doesn’t connote “false,” rather, it should be read as “explanatory” ). The combination of all these objects (formal organizational structures, peer organizations, the public, the institutional myths, the products created by these organizations) is called the institutional field.
[Fig. 1 Components of the Institutional Field Based on Meyers and Rowan (1977)]
The myths, referred to in “myths and ceremony,” are institutional myths and “ceremonies” are sets of repeated behavior used to signal alignment with myths. A silly example: every day, I light a candle next to a bowl of boiled, unseasoned, shredded chicken. I do this in remembrance of the myth that my dog created the world.
[Fig. 2 Picture of “The Almighty“]
So why is it difficult to answer the question, “what is sociology?”
Essentially, when most people provide an answer to the question of “what is sociology,” they are giving you the PR (i.e., public relations) answer, not the “day-to-day” answer. This makes sense because members of the public are likely parroting the PR they heard from a sociologist. Sociologists, especially when engaging with the public, give PR because this is the purpose of PR. The PR answer to “what is sociology” can vary, but it often includes words like: perspective, study, “lens,” society, “not the individual,” “sociological imagination,” “not psychology,” etc. I often find answers that use these words to be either saccharine or dishonest. The dishonesty comes not from my evaluation of the person saying it, but from my “day-to-day” experiences as a graduate student.
As I said before, PR is meant to be used when talking with “the public.” So, it would seem silly to not use the PR answer when asked “what is sociology?” However, anyone asking this question shouldn’t be thought of as part of “the public.” I especially believe this applies to students because students are part of the formal organizational structure (i.e., universities). Members of the public — who are not students and asking the question in good faith — are potential students, which I believe means they should be treated as such.
The answer to the question that I would give to students is the following:
“Sociology is a scientific community that currently focuses on the study of phenomena like culture, organizations, institutions, and social structures.”
If students and potential students are owed an answer that is not PR, this definition works well. It balances technicality (the quality sociologists expect among each other) and general comprehensibility. The word “community” is used by scientists in a similar fashion to the public, so members of the public satisfied with this definition can go on about their day. Scientists or eager students (who are potential scientists), can prod the definition further or use it as a basis for further writing. In fact, the word “community” I use here is the same as Thomas Kuhn’s usage in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
Whether you consider yourself a part of the scientific community or a member of the institutional field, your thoughts are more than welcomed in the comments.