Making the sociological promise: A case study of Rosemary Brown's autobiography

This article takes up C. Wright Mills' formulations of the "sociological pr omise" and the "sociological imagination," and considers his commitment, an d sociology's commitment, to popular narratives. It is recalled that for Mi lls sociological thought is a matter of biographic and historiographic stor y-telling, practices he claims are often best exemplified in non-academic p rose. By considering one popular autobiography-that of Canadian politician and social activist Rosemary Brown-it is argued that an exemplary and creat ive sociological imagination is located in her discursive constructions of speech, memory, and subjectivity. Finally, it is recommended that sociologi sts study popular narratives to point to and encourage the sociological ins ights that they often implicitly embody.