Public Sociology in Theory and Practice

This talk will address Public Sociology as both theory and practice. Michael Burawoy will present the idea of public sociology - its different forms and its relationship to policy, critical and professional sociology. He will speak to the legacy and work of W. E. B. Du Bois as an early exemplar and contributor to this field. Laleh Behbehanian will carry this conversation into the present and discuss her research on state repression of Occupy Oakland as an example of public sociology undertaken with and for activist communities in the Bay Area. Emphasizing the possibilities for connecting sociology, activism and teaching, she will discuss her research in relation to working with the Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee and teaching classes on social movements at UC Berkeley. Together the panelists address Sociology's engagements with Public Sociology that are of historical and contemporary significance, including within an academic setting.

Michael Burawoy is one of the leading contemporary scholars in Sociology. In addition to his distinguished teaching and scholarly career, he has also served as President of the American Sociological Association where he advocated for adopting some of the insights of Public Sociology into academic institutional practices. His current research project is a study of Du Bois's many contributions as a Sociologist, an organic intellectual, and a public sociologist.

Laleh Behbehanian is a Teaching Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley since she received her Ph.D. in Sociology, from the university in the same year. Dr. Behbenanian has an ongoing engagement with research and work related to security studies, the law and police repression of communities of color, and larger questions of social justice in the bay area. She is the recipient of several awards for Excellence in Teaching.

The talk is sponsored by The Donald C. Samuel Fund for Economics and Politics. Please click here to register for this event.