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Much discussion surrounding Burawoy's (2004) argument for public sociology has focused on concerns about the model's normative and political implications while failing to empirically analyze current practices of public academic work. The debate thus risks devolving into competing rhetorical claims about what public sociology should be. We offer a preliminary comparative analysis of one type of public academic work — the writing of books — by sociologists, political scientists, and economists in Canada. In the hope of encouraging more empirical research on the current status of public academic work in Canada, books are put into one of six categories determined on the basis of 1) the publisher's characteristics; 2) the book's intended audience; and 3) the book's intended intellectual/political purpose. We find that sociology lags behind political science in producing books intended for a public audience; however, other evidence suggests Canadian sociologists are attempting to open a public dialogue in a more "organic" way through small presses. Questions are raised about the status and rewards structure of professional sociology in Canada and how it influences public academic work.

Les discussions à propos des arguments de Burawoy sur la sociologie publique se concentrent principalement autour des implications normative et politique du modèle. Mais ces discussions omettent de tester empiriquement les travaux académiques publics contemporains. Il existe donc un risque que le débat s'égare en discussions rhétoriques autour de ce que la sociologie publique devrait être. Nous proposons une analyse préliminaire d'un type de travail académique public, soit la production de livres par des sociologues, politologues et économistes au Canada. Dans l'espoir d'inciter les recherches empiriques sur le statut actuel des travaux académiques publics au Canada, nous avons classé les ouvrages en six catégories sur les bases suivantes 1) les caractéristiques institutionnelles de l'éditeur, 2) le public visé par les livres, 3) l'usage intellectuel et politique attendu pour le livre. Les résultats de nos recherches montrent que la sociologie accuse un retard face à la science politique quant à la production de livres commerciaux grand public. Cependant, d'autres preuves suggèrent que les sociologues canadiens tentent d'ouvrir un dialogue public d'une manière plus « organique » au travers de la publication chez de petits éditeurs. Nous nous posons des questions quant au statut et à la structure de valorisation professionnelle de la sociologie au Canada et à leur influence sur les travaux académiques publics.

Is it possible for individuals to tackle waste by recycling, reusing and reducing alone? This provocative book critically analyses the widespread assumption that individuals and households have created our global waste crisis. Sociologist and waste expert Myra J. Hird reveals neoliberal capitalism's fallacy of infinite growth as the real culprit, and demonstrates how industry and local governments work in tandem to deflect our attention away from the real causes of our global waste problem. Hird offers crucial insights into the relations between waste and wider societal issues including ongoing (settler) colonialism, poverty, racism and sexism, and showcases how sociology may provide solutions through a 'pubic imagination' of waste

The idea of public sociology, as introduced by Michael Burawoy, was inspired by the sociological practice in South Africa known as 'critical engagement'. This volume explores the evolution of critical engagement before and after Burawoy's visit to South Africa in the 1990s and offers a Southern critique of his model of public sociology. Involving four generations of researchers from the Global South, the authors provide a multifaceted exploration of the formation of new knowledge through research practices of co-production. Tracing the historical development of 'critical engagement' from a Global South perspective, the book deftly weaves a bridge between the debates on public sociology and decolonial frameworks

Leading academics take a distinctive new approach to the understanding of public sociology education in this perceptive new resource. Through pedagogical case studies and inter-contributor dialogues, they develop and challenge thinking in the field. Divided into three sections on the publics, knowledges and practices of public sociology education, it looks beyond the boundaries of academia to deliver fresh responses to key disciplinary questions including the purposes and targets of sociological knowledge. For students, academics and practitioners, it is a timely and thought-provoking contribution to debate about public sociology education