History biography sociological imagination c

Type of insight offered by the discipline of sociology

"Sociological perspective" redirects here. For the journal, see Sociological Perspectives (journal).

Not to be confused with Imaginary (sociology).

Sociological imagination is a term used in the field of sociology to describe a framework for understanding social reality that places personal experiences within a broader social and historical context.^[1]

It was coined by American sociologist C.

Wright Mills in his book The Sociological Imagination to describe the type of insight offered by the discipline of sociology.^{[2]:&#;5,&#;7&#;} Today, the term is used in many sociology textbooks to explain the nature of sociology and its relevance in daily life.^[1]

Definitions

In The Sociological Imagination, Mills attempts to reconcile two different and abstract concepts of social reality: the "individual" and the "society."^[3] Accordingly, Mills defined