Forty Years of Sociology: Some Comments

This article presents the author's response to the special issue of Sociology (41/5, 2007) which focuses on three contributions in particular, the Editorial Foreword ('Sociology and its Public Face(s)', Holmwood and Scott), 'The Coming Crisis of Empirical Sociology' (Savage and Burrows), and 'Social Divisions and Social Mobilities' (Payne). She argues that if there is a 'crisis' in empirical sociology it is one relating to an absence of quantitative expertise, rather than the presence of the 'wrong' variety. She further argues that a (possibly unintended) consequence of Savage and Burrows' rejection of the survey method might be to reinforce the lack of inclination, amongst many sociologists, to acquire a reasonable level of quantitative expertise. She suggests that enhancing methods expertise, particularly expertise in quantitative methods, within British Sociology requires patient advocacy, and the building of a persuasive case. Rejecting the survey method (even with caveats) in favor of social transactional research technologies is not the way to go.