'Silent sociologists' speak up

Sociologists are accustomed to periodic journalistic attacks but Walker's article is abstruse, rambling and hopelessly ill-informed.

But his rhetorical blast at Anthony Giddens is surely enough to make readers realise that Walker has little knowledge of the subject and has made no serious effort to overcome his ignorance.

Even a cursory reading of Giddens makes one appreciate that the one thing we cannot do is conduct sociological analysis on the presupposition that sociology's subject is to be equated with what happens within the borders of the nation state. For far too long social science in Britain did work on this assumption that British society was a self-contained object of study. Perhaps this "little idea" from Giddens, one which links to his studies of globalisation, time/space compression, nation states, identity, surveillance, militarism and so on, could be reflected on by Walker when next he ponders "whither sociology".

I might suggest too that Walker talks to the professional association of British sociologists that he might get a better understanding of the state of the discipline.

Frank Webster

Honorary general secretary

British Sociological Assocation