Different Visions of/for Australian Sociology, 1959–2014

Chapter3 turns its eyes mostly to our theme of rivalry. It describes five different aspects of the practice of Australian sociology in terms of rival visions for the discipline — the content of teaching, of research, and of textbooks, the interests of members of the professional association, and two particular debates between disciplinary leaders over the direction of sociology in Australia. The chapter also develops a new argument from the evidence in which it deals. This argument concerns the dearth of awareness in the practice of Australian sociology about the history of Australian sociology. We propose that Australian sociology would be greatly strengthened by a more regular and more open focus on its complex historical trajectories.