PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY AND THE INSERTION OF SOCIOLOGY IN THE BRAZILIAN BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM: a reflection on the role and public relevance of this science in society

Abstract

This article discusses how the idea of ​​public sociology by the American sociologist Michael Buroway together with the mandatory insertion of sociology in the Brazilian high school curriculum raised different perceptions and rhetorical disputes regarding the role of sociology and how this science can become more or less relevant to non-academic society. This work is the result of a monograph that investigated the debates related to the theme from interviews with teachers and intellectuals who led the discussions regarding the process of reinsertion of sociology in Brazilian high school in 2008. In addition to the interviews, bibliographical researches were carried out regarding the discussions about the reinsertion of sociology in basic education and also about the idea of ​​public sociology. At the center of this debate there is always opposition to the defense of a neutral character that aims to characterize sociology as scientific versus the defense of a sociology capable of intervening in the events of society to characterize it as socially relevant. It is a reflection that leads us to think about what sociology is for, its role in society and how sociology can go beyond the walls of the university and enter the trenches of politics and civil society without losing its scientific rigor.