Serving as ambassadors of hope

Through our work with Ambassadors for Hope (a community organization advocating on behalf of children with incarcerated parents), we argue for a broader understanding of public sociology as community-based research and engagement, where academic sociologists and community stakeholders engage in fluid discussion and collaboration. We further delineate four aspects of public sociology as community-based engagement, and their associated challenges: (1) mentoring junior colleagues, (2) clarifying the relationships between stakeholders, (3) communicating social science research to a non-academic audience and (4) involving students as research assistants. We conclude that public sociology as community-based research and engagement poses different challenges than those we typically face in an academic setting, and these challenges are likely to persist over time. Yet the rewards of engaging in community-based research and engagement are significant and hold promise for rethinking sociology’s disciplinary contributions.

Computer Science · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Social and Cultural Dynamics