twelve Invitation to transnational sociology
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John G. Dale
Abstract
What does it mean to study and understand a global social problem from the perspective of global sociology? When invited to share some thoughts on this question for the 2022 Agenda for Social Justice, we realized that any perspective or direction for such problem-solving that we might articulate would first require substantial problem “dis-solving.” How we frame the problem in the first place shapes how we examine and understand it. In this chapter, we revisit a common discourse in sociology that distinguishes between a “social” and a “sociological” problem. This discourse suggests that there is an inherent aspect of sociology’s disciplinary logic and orientation toward representing society that leads it to question, rather than reinforce, the framing of problems deployed by administrative disciplines. Then, we challenge the underlying assumption of this argument by highlighting examples of sociology’s pernicious entanglement with administrative disciplines. We reflect on two critical agendas working not only within, but also beyond certain confines of, global sociology to discuss how each frames global sociology itself as a sociological problem—one that often reproduces structural inequalities too. We then discuss what it means to frame public sociology as a global social problem from a transnational perspective and explain how doing so can contribute to greater precision in research on the complexities of, and possibilities for, social change. We suggest that such a perspective may also help identify and create networks of critical global sociologies that transcend national borders
Abstract
What does it mean to study and understand a global social problem from the perspective of global sociology? When invited to share some thoughts on this question for the 2022 Agenda for Social Justice, we realized that any perspective or direction for such problem-solving that we might articulate would first require substantial problem “dis-solving.” How we frame the problem in the first place shapes how we examine and understand it. In this chapter, we revisit a common discourse in sociology that distinguishes between a “social” and a “sociological” problem. This discourse suggests that there is an inherent aspect of sociology’s disciplinary logic and orientation toward representing society that leads it to question, rather than reinforce, the framing of problems deployed by administrative disciplines. Then, we challenge the underlying assumption of this argument by highlighting examples of sociology’s pernicious entanglement with administrative disciplines. We reflect on two critical agendas working not only within, but also beyond certain confines of, global sociology to discuss how each frames global sociology itself as a sociological problem—one that often reproduces structural inequalities too. We then discuss what it means to frame public sociology as a global social problem from a transnational perspective and explain how doing so can contribute to greater precision in research on the complexities of, and possibilities for, social change. We suggest that such a perspective may also help identify and create networks of critical global sociologies that transcend national borders
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Table of contents v
- President’s welcome vii
- Editorial introduction ix
- About the SSSP xii
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Acknowledgments xxi
- Foreword xxii
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Topical pieces
- The challenge of global school segregation 3
- The authoritarian backlash against education justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth 12
- From the streets to social policy: how to end gender-based violence against women 23
- Fatphobia 37
- Opioid abuse and evidence-based practices for a global epidemic 45
- Water justice as social policy: tackling the global challenges to water and sanitation access 53
- COVID-19 vaccine inequity 62
- The problem of insecure community health workers in the Global South 71
- Sub-Saharan Africa’s digital poverty in perspective 80
- Climate change, migration, and language endangerment in the Pacific 88
- Reimagining the climate crisis as a social crisis 96
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Reflection pieces
- Invitation to transnational sociology 109
- Global social justice research, teaching, and activism: a global turn in sociology? 120
- A sociology of hope: why we need a radical action agenda for social justice 129
- Afterword 138
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Table of contents v
- President’s welcome vii
- Editorial introduction ix
- About the SSSP xii
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Acknowledgments xxi
- Foreword xxii
-
Topical pieces
- The challenge of global school segregation 3
- The authoritarian backlash against education justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth 12
- From the streets to social policy: how to end gender-based violence against women 23
- Fatphobia 37
- Opioid abuse and evidence-based practices for a global epidemic 45
- Water justice as social policy: tackling the global challenges to water and sanitation access 53
- COVID-19 vaccine inequity 62
- The problem of insecure community health workers in the Global South 71
- Sub-Saharan Africa’s digital poverty in perspective 80
- Climate change, migration, and language endangerment in the Pacific 88
- Reimagining the climate crisis as a social crisis 96
-
Reflection pieces
- Invitation to transnational sociology 109
- Global social justice research, teaching, and activism: a global turn in sociology? 120
- A sociology of hope: why we need a radical action agenda for social justice 129
- Afterword 138
