Applied Sociology

Visual Sociology of Housing Crisis

Three sets of tall, crowded buildings in Hong Kong with little sunlight, with hundreds of balconies

A new exhibition uses visual sociology to tackle the social stigma of living in subdivided units, bedspace and ‘coffin home’ apartments in Hong Kong.

The Sociology of Doing Nothing, Probation and COVID-19

Image of Bucharest, Romania. A large white bus drives past in a whirl and large buildings are in the background. The street in the foreground are empty, and one man looks transparent and diminutive in the background

Dr Marian Badea works as a Probation Inspector in the social policy sector, in Bucharest, Romania. Marian analyses reports and coordinates activities of probation officers in 42 regions. COVID-19 social distancing laws have radically altered how probation officers carry out their work.

Foucault and Chomsky Debate Human Nature

Foucault is a white man who is bald and wears glasses and a checkered suit

What is our role in social justice as applied sociologists? In this debate from 1971, Michel Foucault and Noam Chomsky disagree about the fundamental qualities of “human nature” and the key task of social science in helping humanity achieve its collective potential. Chomsky believes that the social sciences should draw up a framework for an idealContinueContinue reading “Foucault and Chomsky Debate Human Nature”

Sociology More Nimble on its Feet

A young Asian woman fills in paperwork while speaking to a group of women

The quote below comes from a great book with lots of useful case studies of applied sociology in action. In Public Sociology: Research, Action, and Change, Philip Nyden, Leslie Hossfeld and Gwendolyn Nyden, argue: “In their active engagement with various publics, sociologists become more aware of emerging issues and responding to those issues in their research.ContinueContinue reading “Sociology More Nimble on its Feet”