Journeys in Sociology

For most sociologists, their life's work does not end with retirement. Many professors and practitioners continue to teach, publish, or explore related activities after leaving academia. They also connect with others in the field to lessen the isolation they sometimes feel outside the ivory tower or an applied work setting. The editors and twenty contributors to this essential anthology use a life-course perspective to address the role of sociology in their lives. The power of their personal experiences - during the Great Depression, World War II, or the student protests and social movements in the 1960s and '70s - magnify how and why social change prompted these men and women to study sociology. Moreover, all of the contributors include a discussion of their activities in retirement. From Bob Perrucci, Tuck Green, and Wendell Bell, who write about issues of class, to Debra Kaufman and Elinore Lurie, who explain how gender played a role in their careers, the diverse entries provide a fascinating look at both the influence of their lives on the discipline and the discipline on these sociologists' lives.