A key element in this disciplinary formation of American sociology was a debate over the respective roles and contributions of religion and science to the study of society. The group of people who could legitimately speak for sociology changed as well, from a diverse group of religious reformers and progressive activists to a small group of academic professionals ensconced in major universities. Introductionįrom 1890 to 1920, “sociology” changed from a general term encompassing a wide variety of social programs to a specific term describing a scientific approach to the study of society. For quoting or citing, please refer to the published version. Notice: The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Public Understanding of Science 18(1):5–22, 2009, doi:10.1177/0963662506071283 by Sage Publications Ltd, All rights reserved. Keywords: boundary-work, religion, science, sociology Specifically, the removal of informational content in key boundary objects creates durable boundaries that are difficult to overcome. Second, I demonstrate how audience boundaries can be redefined through the capture of existing boundary objects. Such defining of publics is constitutive of scientific disciplines in their formative stage. First I illustrate how, in the pursuit of scientific credibility, actors engage in boundary-work to differentiate audiences, not just practitioners. Using this case, I offer two specific insights. In response to the dual challenge of credibility set up by the conflict between religious Baconian science and secular positivist science, key actors engaged in specific strategies of boundary-work to create their desired “sociological public” – a hybrid form of science-public relations that appealed to hostile university scientists while excluding a supportive religious audience from participation in the production of scientific knowledge. The case study is an episode in the development of early American sociology. Home Defining the Public, Defining Sociology: Hybrid Science-Public Relations and Boundary-Work in Early American SociologyĪbstract: In this paper I examine how scientific disciplines define their boundaries by defining the publics with whom they engage. Defining the Public, Defining Sociology: Hybrid Science-Public Relations and Boundary-Work in Early American Sociology
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