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This book retraces the intellectual career of committed sociologist and maverick, Charles Wright Mills (1916-1962), whose work is considered "classic" in the USA. Unlike some existing works that focus primarily on Mills' theoretical contributions or political commitments, this book weaves together the personal, intellectual, and political dimensions of Mills' life, providing readers a comprehensive point of view. The authors show how Mills developed a coherent intellectual framework against which he could undertake an analysis of the unequal distribution of power. They re-read the works of C. Wright Mills within an epistemological framework that gives pride of place to classical sociology and its great authors. They also build bridges between the critical sociology of Pierre Bourdieu and the "politics of truth" proposed by Mills. The book emphasizes the contemporary relevance of Mills' ideas. By drawing parallels between Mills' insights and current sociological works, it offers readers reading grids for a better understanding of today's world. Rediscovering the sociological work of C. Wright Mills allows us to revisit the history of American sociology and to identify research orientations for today: on power, institutions, social stratification and the methods used to study them.
The book is crafted in an engaging, narrative style making complex sociological concepts accessible without sacrificing depth.
List of contents
A 1950s radical.- Character and social structure.- Stratification and Politics.- A Sociology of Knowledge.- Conclusion.
About the author
Bertrand Réau is Professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris (France). His recent work focuses on tourism practices and the social uses of time, the challenges of the globalization of science, AI, Ethics, and disciplinary recompositions. He is initiating new research on the social stakes of time for children and artistic work and sciences. He is notably co-author of Sociologie du tourisme (2016), the author of Les Français et les vacances. Sociologie de l'offre et des pratiques de pratiques de loisirs (2011), co-editor (with François Denord & Mikael Palme) of Researching Elites and Power (2020), and co-editor (with Christophe Guibert) of Employment and tourism (2023) .
François Denord is senior researcher at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), France. At the intersection of sociology, contemporary history and political science, his work focuses on contemporary transformations in the field of power. His publications include Le Concert des puissants (with Paul Lagneau-Ymonet) and L'Europe sociale n'aura pas lieu (with Antoine Schwartz), published by Raisons d'Agir (2016 and 2009). He is the author of Néolibéralisme version française (Demopolis, 2007; Agone, 2016) and prefaced the revised French edition of C. Wright Mills' The Power Elite (Agone, 2012).
Summary
This book retraces the intellectual career of committed sociologist and maverick, Charles Wright Mills (1916-1962), whose work is considered "classic" in the USA. Unlike some existing works that focus primarily on Mills’ theoretical contributions or political commitments, this book weaves together the personal, intellectual, and political dimensions of Mills’ life, providing readers a comprehensive point of view. The authors show how Mills developed a coherent intellectual framework against which he could undertake an analysis of the unequal distribution of power. They re-read the works of C. Wright Mills within an epistemological framework that gives pride of place to classical sociology and its great authors. They also build bridges between the critical sociology of Pierre Bourdieu and the "politics of truth" proposed by Mills. The book emphasizes the contemporary relevance of Mills’ ideas. By drawing parallels between Mills’ insights and current sociological works, it offers readers reading grids for a better understanding of today’s world. Rediscovering the sociological work of C. Wright Mills allows us to revisit the history of American sociology and to identify research orientations for today: on power, institutions, social stratification and the methods used to study them.
The book is crafted in an engaging, narrative style making complex sociological concepts accessible without sacrificing depth.
