Sauntering into new fields: Henry David Thoreau and the sociological imagination

Theorists have argued that the canons within sociology are socially constructed and function to legitimate a certain type of sociology (Lengermann and Niebrugge-Brantley 1998). Sociology needs to examine the formulation and application of canonical criteria and consider the costs of excluding relevant thinkers from sociological dialogue. This project attempted to apply current canonical criteria to a thinker whose works have been considered by economics, philosophy, natural history, environmental studies and literature, but not sociology---Henry David Thoreau. Using C. W. Mills' (1959) concept of sociological imagination and Peter Berger's (1963) "motifs" as criteria latent content analysis was conducted on Thoreau's writings to determine his relevance to sociology. Analysis of Thoreau's writings found that he addressed the questions Mills believed were asked by those possessing the sociological imagination, which focused on the structure of society, the place of a particular society in history, and the people that prevail in a particular period. To answer these questions, Thoreau explored how capitalism, government and modern definitions of economic, technological, political and scientific progress enslaved the individual. Thoreau's works demonstrate that his approach to analyzing society correspond to Berger's "motifs." Thoreau attempted to look beyond commonly excepted social goals and meanings behind human activity (the debunking motif). He was distasteful of provincialism and was aware of how the American economic system was producing certain type of individuals (relativization motif). He made an effort to explore other cultural value systems and experimented with new ways of living (cosmopolitan motif). Finally, he recognized a variety of social classes by hosting visitors from all walks of life, and exploring a number of non-mainstream arenas, including the jail cell (unrespectability motif). Like Mills and Berger, Thoreau recognized the dangers of "abstracted empiricism" and the mechanical dryness of science. His ability to integrate empiricism with a more humanistic approach demanded by Mills and Berger needs to be explored by sociology. Current canonical criteria need to be deconstructed and applied to thinkers who have not been considered relevant to sociology. Further analysis of Thoreau's work to determine unique contributions he might make to sociology needs to be conducted.