The Sociological Movement, the Sociological Society and the Genesis of Academic Sociology in Britain

1968 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Halliday
Keyword(s):  
Academic Sociology ◽  
Sociological Society

scholarly journals The Ghost of Patrick Geddes: Civics as Applied Sociology

2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Law
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Applied Sociology ◽  
Nature And Culture ◽  
Evolutionary Thought ◽  
Academic Sociology ◽  
Culture Environment ◽  
Sociological Society

In 1904 and 1905 Patrick Geddes (1905, 1906) read his famed, but today little-read, two-part paper, ‘Civics: as Applied Sociology’, to the first meetings of the British Sociological Society. Geddes is often thought of as a ‘pioneer of sociology’ (Mairet, 1957;Meller, 1990) and for some (egDevine, 1999: 296) as ‘a seminal influence on sociology’. However, little of substance has been written to critically assess Geddes's intellectual legacy as a sociologist. His work is largely forgotten by sociologists in Britain (Abrams, 1968;Halliday, 1968;Evans, 1986). Few have been prepared to follow Geddes's ambition to bridge the chasm between nature and culture, environment and society, geography, biology and sociology. His conception of ‘sociology’, oriented towards social action from a standpoint explicitly informed by evolutionary theory. A re-appraisal of the contemporary relevance of Geddes's thinking on civics as applied sociology has to venture into the knotted problem of evolutionary sociology. It also requires giving some cogency to Geddes's often fragmentary and inconsistent mode of address. Although part of a post-positivist, ‘larger modernism’ Geddes remained mired in nineteenth century evolutionary thought and fought shy of dealing with larger issues of social class or the breakthrough work of early twentieth century sociology of Simmel, Weber and Durkheim. His apolitical notion of ‘civics’ limits its relevance to academic sociology today.

On the History of the Ohio Valley Sociological Society

1969 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 87-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Terzola
Keyword(s):  
Ohio Valley ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sociological Society
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document