Előszó a Közszociológia-blokkhoz
Foreword to the Thematic Block "Public Sociology"

Summary/Abstract: During the past couple of years in several of his papers Michael Burawoy has formulated the diagnosis that the professionalisation of sociology has been accompanied by the public role of sociology becoming less important. This is what the program of public sociology would like to change. The following thematic block presents the article version of Michael Burawoy’s presidental address presented in 2004 at the American Sociological Association’s annual conference. This is perhaps the most detailed elaboration – among other things providing historical context, taking a look at the global contradictions of the institutional framework of sociology and also off ering a detailed analysis of the inner lines of division within the discipline itself – of the aims of Professor Burawoy’s program. This program sparked of a wide ranging international debate, with a host of both supportive and critical arguments being put forward on the pages of for instance Social Problems, Social Forces, Critical Sociology, or the British Journal of Sociology. We offer a small selection of these reactions: the writings of John Braithwaite, Craig Calhoun, Amitai Etzioni, and Charles Tittle are featured in our thematic block. We have also initiated a discussion of Professor Burawoy’s ideas within our own social scientific community. The writings of Zoltán Fleck, György Lengyel and Dénes Némedi represent the first wave of responses to our call for discussion.

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