It is not uncommon for people new to sociology to be completely baffled both by the language used and by the ways sociologist put their ideas together. In this chapter we outline some of the many approaches to the study of societies and social activities that constitute ‘sociology’. While the idea of the ‘sociological imagination’ is a useful introduction to what sociologists do, it can gloss over the signifi cant differences in the ways sociologists practise ‘sociology’. This is evident even in the diversity of meanings attached to the word ‘theory’ when people talk about social theory. We offer a simple analytic approach to making sense of sociologists and point especially to the large differences in assumptions about the nature of reality and knowledge, and how this helps us to come to terms with the diversity of sociology. We then outline some of the defi ning characteristics of the seven kinds of ‘sociology’ we identify.

Useful links

The Australian Sociology Association (TASA)
http://www.tasa.org.au/home/index.php

International Sociological Association (ISA)
http://www.ucm.es/info/isa/

International Rural Sociology Association
http://www.irsa-world.org/

The Australian & Oceanic Network for Rural Social Research and Community Development: http://www.csu.edu.au/research/crsr/aon/

Dead Sociologist’s Society:
http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/%7Elridener/DSS/DEADSOC.HTML

Marxist’s Internet Archive
http://www.marxists.org/

Part One : What is Sociology?

Part Two: Identity

Part Three: Globalisation

Chapter 3: Making sense of sociology

Further reading

Useful links