For a History of Sociologists in the Wild

The history of sociology has traditionally examined sociology as an academic discipline and/or intellectual discourse. In effect, specialists, regardless of their preferred approach (intellectual, institutional, etc.), have largely focused on sociologists working within universities and/or scientific institutions. While academia plays a fundamental role in the making of sociology in any society, non-academic postgraduate practices––such as those within government agencies, private corporations, or NGOs––can also be seen as playing an important role. Building on studies aimed at unraveling the development of sociology “in the wild” and on my own research on the trajectory of sociology in Latin America, this paper will argue for the importance of exploring the professional activities of sociologists beyond academia. First, it will draw attention to how this intellectual agenda can serve to explore the ways in which sociological expertise has been legitimized, demanded, and used by different social actors and non-academic institutions in different contexts––a line of inquiry that may pave the way for a systematic understanding of the social effects (or performativity) of the discipline. Second, it will contend that the study of sociology outside academia can help to stimulate scholarship that focus on “ordinary” sociologists rather than just the "big names" of the discipline. This, in turn, may shed light on how some of the perennial intellectual controversies of the discipline––e.g., involvement vs. detachment––have been embodied in the daily routines of sociologists working for a client or employer. Last but not least, it will show that this broader approach can be instrumental in furthering the interrogation of academic sociology itself as it may encourage a more relational gaze––an individual's wager in academia may be influenced, for example, by the (other) professional options outside universities.