Sociology is at core a science of the social. From the earliest formation of the discipline, sociologists have sought to make sense of complex social realities and to find solutions to injustices, problems, and inequities they encountered in the worlds that they study. Ours is therefore a practical academic pursuit, one that creates new knowledge in the pursuit of better ways of living together in our ever more complex societies.
Yet there remains a tendency both within and beyond the discipline to understand applied sociology or social ‘practice’ as inherently outcomes oriented and lacking theoretical rigour. At the same time, social theory is often imagined as esoteric and arcane, accused of being untethered from practical solutions to ‘real world’ problems.
This professional development session disputes both assumptions. Our presenters demonstrate the value of applied sociologies that draw on theoretical concepts to creatively address wicked problems, while also exploring the generative potential of engaged intersectoral research to generate surprising and new insights, complicating and enriching social theory.
This professional development session is targeted at academics and practitioners who wish to bridge the gap between theoretical and applied sociology. Drawing on the rich and diverse experiences of our presenters, all scholars of migration and diversity, session participants will be invited to consider the application of sociology to various sectors and across multiple scales. Active guided discussions will support participants to identify how the theories that they use may be focused on practical applications and will be encouraged to creatively imagine how the problems they work with might generate new theoretical insights.
Catriona TURNBULL1, Manashi RAY2 and Manashi RAY2, (1)Edith Cowan University, WA, Australia(2)West Virginia State University, Charleston, WV, USA
