Sociologist's Tea House (Issue 11)

Author: Zhang Lisheng, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: In the current landscape of disciplines, sociology has long moved beyond the pioneering stage of the 19th century, where masters laid the intellectual foundation for the discipline and strived for recognition. Many academic giants have also written works titled "What Is Sociology," to say nothing of the fact that sociology not only boasts a widely recognized theoretical tradition but also strives to guide research with rigorous methodology. However, what is truly astonishing is that if someone asks what sociology is, sociologists' answers remain varied and bewildering, leaving one at a loss for words. To the point that some have playfully borrowed an economist's self-deprecating joke, saying that sociology is, in essence, the very thing that provides sociologists with their livelihood.