Freedom and Reason was originally launched on Blogger (a Google product) in 2006. Due to frustration with that platform functionality and sporadic activity due to my duties as chair of my department, which at the time involved a bottom up revision of the program, program review, and rebuilding the faculty, Freedom and Reason languished. I was spurred to regularly blog again after witnessing firsthand the results of the migrant crisis in Sweden in the summer of 2018 while on a research expedition to study the criminal justice systems of Norway and Sweden. Upon returning from Scandinavia, I moved Freedom and Reason to WordPress, a much superior application. The site now enjoys thousands of visitors annually.
I started Freedom and Reason in 2006 because I came to believe that it was important to make my ideas available to audiences beyond academic outlets and the classrooms. This is known in my field as public sociology. Public sociology seeks to engage with a broader audience beyond academia. It involves the application of sociological insights to address public issues, influence policy, and foster public debate. Public sociologists aim to make their work accessible and relevant to the general public, by participating in public discourse and advocating for social change. This approach contrasts with more traditional forms of sociology, which may prioritize theoretical development or empirical research within academic circles. In 2018, I recommitted myself to this idea.
Public sociology is rooted in the idea that sociologists have a responsibility to contribute to society by making their findings useful and actionable. This can involve addressing inequality, social justice issues, and other pressing social problems. The practice often requires sociologists to communicate in a way that is understandable and meaningful to non-specialists, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and everyday social concerns. Public sociology can also be seen as a way of democratizing knowledge, as it seeks to involve a wider range of voices in sociological debates and to bring academic insights into public conversations.
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