Publicizing sociology.

This article comments on Michael Burawoy's article "For Public Sociology," in volume 56, issue number 2, of the "British Journal of Sociology." While the author agrees with much of Burawoy's analysis, he addresses two concerns. First, he takes issue with Burawoy's claim that there are four sociologies, each associated with a distinct type of knowledge: professional, critical, policy and public. It is argued that these four types of knowledge are not discrete in the way he contends, and that all four are embedded in any sociological analysis. Second, Burawoy's article and wider research program concern the institutionalization of sociology and its communicative relations with other institutions. It is argued that his research should address the discrepant criteria of relevance and communication logics of different institutions and their implications for the sociological voice. Sociology does not translate easily into the discourses and practices of other institutions, for example the mass media, government inquiries, or the requirements of evidence in law. Sociological communication in these other public arenas may sometimes be impossible. When it is possible, there is often loss of sociological autonomy and influence as the analysis translates into the criteria of relevance and communication logic of the institution concerned.