Public Sociology and its Publics

Now that public sociology is beginning to move into mainstream sociology, it is necessary to understand the vital if indirect part the general public plays in the creation of public sociology. Although that sociology requires sociological work which is relevant and useful to sectors of the general public and is written in non-technical language, presenters are needed to propose that the work is eligible to become public sociology. Still, the public makes the final decision about whether it will literally become public sociology. This article hypothesizes about the process by which sociological works are transformed into public sociology, focusing particularly on the journalists, publishers, social media participants and other presenters. Empirical studies are needed to test these hypotheses, for a better understanding of the production of public sociology is needed so that it can contribute to the vitality of the discipline in the years to come. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.