The Sociological Imagination

307 Words2 Pages
Sport and the Sociological Imagination (-61) What is the ‘sociological Imagination’? The sociological imagination is a term coined by C. Wright Mills in 1959, to describe the thoughts of numerous scholars concerning sociology's unique insight into social conventions. It is the ability to set oneself apart from the familiarities of daily routines to gain fresh perspectives on situations. (Mills, 2000). The sociological imagination can be used to explain any behaviour, and one with a sociological imagination is able to view situations from alternative points of view. For example drinking coffee. ‘Coffee is not just a refreshment. It has value as part of our day to day activities.’ (Giddens, 2009). Where the majority of people will see coffee drinking as just a beverage, others will realise the symbolism of socialisation that it holds. The act of coffee drinking is not in the consumption of the coffee, but in the company of the others present. This marks drinking coffee as a social ritual, not a way to refresh oneself as it appears. As well as being a social ritual, drinking coffee has a stimulation effect on the brain, due to caffeine. This allows for later nights studying or working, and the behaviour has become ingrained in society as an acceptable stimulant. However in some parts of the world this is frowned upon, sociologists are intrigued as to how this came about and why there are differences among various societies. What, according to Mills (2000, p.11), does the sociological imagination enable its possessor to understand? According to C. Wright Mills, the possessor of sociological imagination can understand history and how we got to where we are today. ‘The sociological imagination allows it’s possessor to understand the historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals.’ (Mills,
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