Social Theory for a Civic Sociology
Loïc Wacquant, Distinguished Visiting Scholar 2011
What role can social theory play in public debates? What are the obstacles and pathways to developing a civic sociology? The tale of the international reception of Loïc Wacquant’s book Prisons of Poverty (expanded US edition 2009, translated in 20 languages) serves to reflect on the conditions under which the tools of social science can be deployed to engage in, and bear upon, a current policy debate of frontline societal significance.