Caught in the Middle: Contradictions in the Lives of Sociologists from Working-Class Backgrounds

(Hardback)

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Description

When individuals from working-class backgrounds seek entry into the upper-middle-class world of academia, they often encounter difficulties. Examining the professional and personal lives of a group of sociologists from working class backgrounds, this extensive study finds that despite their successes as Ph.D. recipients, these scholars have suffered structural, interpersonal, and personal consequences that are linked to that class background. Many are uncomfortable with the academic role and the authority structure of the university, and see themselves as outsiders both within the academy and its larger cultural environment. The authors' conclusion, is that upward social mobility is never complete and that these upwardly mobile professionals appear to be caught in the middle between the world of their childhoods and the very different world that they must confront daily as members of the academy.

Reviews

This is an exemplary representation of the art of sociological research. Graceful writing frames judicious presentation, supported by elegant documentation. This book could well become a sociological classic and deserves careful reading by anyone interested in the social order of the US or in the sociological craft. * Choice *
Grimes and Morris have written an interesting book, because they are concerned about the effects of background among professionals in the academy. Grimes and Morris have paid careful attention to the scientific needs of their study . . . This thought-provoking book stimulates some observations and questions. * Inequalities *

Author Bio

Michael D. Grimes is professor of sociology at Louisiana State University. He is the author of Class in Twentieth-Century American Sociology (Praeger, 1991), and has also published a number of articles on class, race, and gender. Joan M. Morris is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Central Florida. She obtained her PhD from Louisiana State University and has taught at Kent State University.