Sociological imagination
Sociological imagination is a concept introduced by American sociologist C. Wright Mills in his influential 1959 book, "The Sociological Imagination." This idea emphasizes the connection between individual experiences and larger societal structures, suggesting that personal problems cannot be fully understood without considering the societal context in which they occur. Mills argued that our behavior is shaped by various social forces, and in turn, individual actions can influence broader social developments. The sociological imagination is comprised of three key components: history, biography, and social structure, highlighting the interplay between personal narratives and historical circumstances.
Mills encouraged individuals to step outside their everyday routines to gain insight into how social norms and values impact their lives. This perspective fostered a deeper understanding of societal issues and has had a lasting impact on the field of sociology, establishing it as a vital social science. The concept also inspired critical examination of social structures, including bureaucratic organizations, and has influenced progressive political thought since the 1960s. Overall, sociological imagination serves as a foundational framework for understanding the complexities of social life and the relationships between individual agency and societal forces.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Sociological imagination
In 1959, American sociologist C. Wright Mills published The Sociological Imagination, in which he proposed a new paradigm for sociological study. Broadly speaking, Mills suggested that the social sciences consider how individual issues affect the society as a whole. The book is a treatise on how sociology can inform life in the modern world, and it greatly influenced the development of the field of sociology in the latter twentieth century.
Overview
Mills defined the concept of sociological imagination as “the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and wider society.” He believed that history cannot be understood apart from society. According to Mills, our behavior is shaped by situation, values, and surrounding behavior. In turn, larger social developments are impacted by the behavior of individuals. In his work as a sociologist, Mills encouraged people to take themselves out of their daily routines in the effort to view their own lives from a broader context—recognizing the presence and influence of social norms, the impact of various motives for human actions, and the existence a social context for all people. Understanding the role of these forces in shaping larger societal outcomes is the key to developing knowledge. “Neither the life of an individual, nor the history of a society,” writes Mills, “can be understood without understanding both.” This was a relatively new idea during Mills’s time, when the modern understanding of sociology as an academic discipline and a social science in general was in its infancy.
The concept of sociological imagination became a foundational idea in sociology, permanently influencing the discipline and its impact on society. In his 1959 book, Mills describes the sociological imagination as having three components: history, biography, and social structure. He believed that the role of the social scientist was to explore how personal problems inform societal problems.
Throughout his career, much of Mills’s work focused on social criticism and developing large themes pertaining to American social life. In his 1951 book White Collar: The American Middle Classes, Mills coined the phrase “white collar,” which came to identify middle-class professionals in the United States thereafter. In his works The Power Elite (1956) and The Causes of World War Three (1959), Mills was critical of bureaucratic organization, theorizing that its functionality is irrational and undemocratic. Some of Mills’s ideas influenced the development of progressive political philosophies in the 1960s.
Mills taught sociology at Columbia University until his death in 1962. In 1964, the Society for the Study of Social Problems introduced the C. Wright Mills Award, awarded annually in recognition of the best works in sociology and social science.
Bibliography
Aronowitz, Stanley. Taking It Big: C. Wright Mills and the Making of Political Intellectuals. New York: Columbia UP, 2012. Print.
Geary, Daniel. Radical Ambition: C. Wright Mills, the Left, and American Social Thought. Berkeley: U of California P, 2009. Print.
Macionis, John J. Sociology. 14th ed. London: Pearson, 2011. Print.
Manza, Jeff, Richard Arum, and Lynne Haney. The Sociology Project: Introducing the Sociological Imagination. London: Pearson, 2012. Print.
Mills, Wright C. The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.
Mills, Wright C., and Alan Wolfe. The Power Elite. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. Print.
Summers, John H. “The Deciders.” New York Times. New York Times, 14 May 2006. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.
Summers, John H. The Politics of Truth: Selected Writings of C. Wright Mills. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.