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Towards a Sociology of Sociology: Inequality, Elitism, and Prestige in the Sociological Enterprise From 1970 to the Present

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  • Gavin Cook

Abstract

There is a science of science and an informal economics of economics, but there is not a cohesive sociology of sociology. We turn the central findings and theoretical lenses of the sociological tradition and the sociological study of stratification inward on sociology itself to investigate how sociology has changed since the 1970s. We link two bibliometric databases to trace diachronic relationships between PhD training and publication outcomes, both of which are understudied in the science of science and sociology of science. All of sociology's top 3 journals remained biased against alum of less prestigious PhD programs, and while most forms of bias in elite sociological publishing have ameliorated over time, the house bias of the American Journal of Sociology in favor PhD alumnae of UChicago has intensified.

Suggested Citation

  • Gavin Cook, 2026. "Towards a Sociology of Sociology: Inequality, Elitism, and Prestige in the Sociological Enterprise From 1970 to the Present," Papers 2601.04579, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2601.04579
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