Toward a radical public sociology: Key observations on Mahadeo’s call for counter-public sociology

This paper offers a critical response to Rahsaan Mahadeo’s article, “A Call for Counter-Public Sociology.” I argue that public sociology is neither fixed nor fated to legitimize domination; rather, it is a contested field whose trajectory has diversified since its original formulation. The paper reviews Mahadeo’s arguments—regarding the university as knowledge gatekeeper, the privileging of elite publics, and sociology’s complicity with state power—and responds by highlighting contemporary practices of public sociology that contest these limitations. Drawing on theoretical developments and empirical cases, I show how emerging forms of public sociology amplify counter-hegemonic publics and foster emancipatory outcomes. I conclude that Mahadeo’s critique risks obscuring the work many public sociologists already undertake with diverse communities to resist and challenge structures of domination. The task ahead is not to abandon or simply rename public sociology, but to identify, expand, and align its radical potential with broader struggles for social transformation.