To: Participants in workshop on history of modern sociology in the Nordic countries, Nordic Sociological Conference in Turku 18-20/8-06

From: Ragnvald Kalleberg, Department of Sociology and Human Geography, P. B. 1096, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo.

On: Abstract of paper

Date: 21-4-2006

Norwegian sociologists as public intellectuals

The complex role-set anchored in the structural position of a university academic, for example a professor, also includes exoteric roles, such as being an expert (for instance a therapist) or contributor in cultural and political publics. When academics communicate with external publics, they interact with political and cultural citizens. The primary task is not to sell something or make something visible (PR) – which can be reasonable and legitimate tasks in other contexts. The task is to contribute with scientific knowledge and insight to “interested lay people” (specialist in other disciplines included) and to democratic discourse (deliberative democracy). (See my article in The British Journal of Sociology, no 3, 2005).

The paper consists of four parts: 1) Identification and discussion of the task of being a public intellectual in the academic role-set. 2) A general overview on Norwegian academics – especially social scientists - as “popularizers” and “participants in public discourse”, mainly based on national surveys covering the last quarter of a century. 3) Analysis of different themes and strategies in five visible and influential public intellectuals after WWII: Vilhelm Aubert, Johan Galtung, Dag Østerberg, Gudmund Hernes and Rune Slagstad. 4) Sociology as a discipline is closely connected to the “unfinished project of modernity” (Habermas). The paper ends with a discussion of some challenges related to the possibility of contributing to “the project of enlightenment” under contemporary conditions.