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The study of biography as an exercise in sociology has been under-used. The early proponents of a sociology of biography -- most notably Wilhelm Dilthey -- have not had their work greatly developed. However, with the emergence of Paul Ricoeur's work on the nature of narrativity, time and interpretation, plus the developing influence of the work of others, a hermeneutics of biography has now begun. This paper explores this development, and, further, briefly examines two highly important biographies to explore how theoretical injunction is matched by empirical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoliberal interpretations of the social world reject structural explanations in favour of those that see agency as primary. This orthodoxy presents a challenge to teachers who seek to support the development of a sociological understanding, particularly where disadvantaged students are undermined by the stigma associated with these interpretations. This article explores a teaching strategy which draws upon readings of auto/biography on the part of both teachers and students to develop a critical understanding of the relationship between agency and structure. We argue that such an approach can take sociology back to its radical roots as a transformative and radicalising discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents an exercise using sociological imagination to recognize the intersection between personal biography and history. Individuals need to understand that their values and behaviors are situated and consequently influenced by their particular time and place. The exercise discussed uses objects from everyday life to demonstrate to students how their personal biographies intersect with history. In this sense, the exercise embraces the problem-posing method as opposed to the banking method of educational practice. The exercise encourages active engagement among teacher, students, and subject matter in a mutual quest for knowledge and understanding. As a number of researchers have pointed out, this approach has proven successful for developing critical thinking skills in sociology students. By illustrating the sociological imagination and demonstrating to students how to engage in critical thought, this exercise addresses a number of questions shared by most students and faculty members at the beginning of a semester. By using objects from the everyday lives of students, this exercise provides a concrete and easily understood example of the intersection between personal biography and history.

This article focuses on a study that has recently been made of scientists starred in the biographical directory "American Men of Science." It is based largely upon returns from a comprehensive questionnaire. The 2,607 scientists who have been starred are those who, by secret ballot of their fellow scientists, were voted to be the leading research workers in one of 12 sciences. The study revealed that about 46 per cent of the starred scientists who reported had fathers who were professional men, 22 per cent of the fathers were business men and a like number were farmers, about 8 per cent were skilled workers and less than 1 percent were apparently unskilled laborers. As far as early residence of the starred scientists is concerned, 22 percent, it was on a farm, for 15.5 percent, in a rural village, for 31 percent, in a small city, for 25 percent, in a large city and for 6.5 percent, in a suburb of or near a large city. Thus considerably more than half lived in cities. In proportion to the share the city population made of the national total at the time when most of these scientists were young, cities yielded about six times as many as did farms.