Where’s the Imagination in Sociology?

• In Event: Feminist Methods

Abstract

The insight that personal biography connects to broader social structure lies at the heart of what C. Wright Mills called the sociological imagination. Yet sociology’s reliance on observable and measurable phenomena often makes certain forms of power difficult to study. Social forces that appear neutral or unmarked—such as whiteness, masculinity, and heterosexuality—are thus often relegated to the “margins” of the discipline. This paper brings together the sociology of culture, childhood, and feminist methodological traditions to ask: How can a discipline that relies on empirical observation and measurement study categories that – at least at face value – appear neutral, unmarked, and unremarkable? What strategies or techniques can sociologists empirically deploy to uncover the taken-for-granted categories that are difficult to observe yet profoundly influential in shaping life chances?

We draw on more than 250 semi-structured interviews from two studies of young people. When asked questions about family and school, both disadvantaged and privileged children relied on familiar cultural scripts to present themselves positively. These responses reflected children’s awareness of social expectations, especially among marginalized youth who sought respectability. However, when asked hypothetical questions about imagined scenarios and futures, their answers shifted. Dominant categories such as whiteness, heteronormativity, and masculinity emerged as implicit reference points. Marginalized children articulated hidden injuries that direct questions did not reveal, while privileged children expressed feelings of belonging and entitlement. By incorporating imaginative prompts into data collection, sociologists can make visible the categories that often remain unmarked and unquestioned in our discipline.

Authors

• Hyeyoung Kwon, Indiana University

• Michela Musto, Brown University