How sociologists can approach memoir in their writing, research, and in the classroom
Memoirs attract millions of readers with their compelling life stories, vivid details, and often startling revelations. Beyond entertainment value, however, Margaret K. Nelson argues that memoirs hold potential as powerful resources for sociologists to engage with, analyze, and teach. Sociology Meets Memoir is a short and accessible guide to the significance of memoirs for the field of sociology, from their many possible uses to the numerous challenges they pose.
This guide enables sociologists to learn about the different ways memoirs have been used as a medium through which to exercise and encourage the "sociological imagination." Nelson offers clear definitions of the various and nuanced terms associated with memoir and examples of how different types of stories have been effectively integrated into scholarly research. Readers will gain an understanding of the immense power of memoirs as sociological resources, offering unique access to voices from the past as well as voices from the present which are traditionally marginalized. Nelson also focuses on the genre's limitations and the difficult methodological questions that accompany their use in scholarly endeavors.
Sociology Meets Memoir is a vital tool for all sociologists interested in this growing genre. By reading this guide, students and teachers alike will gain an understanding of how they might approach the current outpouring of memoirs and incorporate them into their teaching, learning, writing, and research.

About the Author
Margaret K. Nelson is A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Sociology Emerita at Middlebury College. Most recently she is the author of Keeping Family Secrets: Shame and Silence in Memoirs from the 1950s and coauthor, with Emily K. Abel, of The Farm and Wilderness Summer Camps: Progressive Ideals in the Twentieth Century.

Reviews
"In this important and compelling new book, Margaret K. Nelson illuminates the many ways that memoirs can be of use to sociologists. Published memoirs can be forms of data for research; they can serve as exemplars of the 'sociological imagination' in the classroom; they can help us to understand how race, class, gender, and sexuality have shaped the careers of sociologists and; as short writing assignments, they can teach students to look at their own lives through a sociological lens. I highly recommend this excellent book for novice and experienced sociologists alike!" * Jennifer L. Pierce, author of Queer Twin Cities *
"A multifaceted account of the relationship between memoir and the sociological imagination, written in clear, accessible prose. Memoir, Nelson shows, is a crucial source of sociological data and a powerful tool for teaching sociology. It is also a practice that must be understood sociologically: as an expression of a particular set of historical and structural conditions. Sociology Meets Memoir is an essential guide for anyone interested in the social forces that shape the stories we tell and the 'selves' we construct, from undergraduate students to leading scholars." * Christina Simko, author of The Politics of Consolation: Memory and the Meaning of September 11 *
"In this refreshingly original book, Nelson plumbs a popular genre - the memoir - to make sociological sense of it. Conceptually rich and delightfully provocative, she leads readers on a journey through methodological and substantive considerations. With her wry humor, fluid voice, and engaging writing style, Nelson helps readers peek under the hood of the sociological enterprise. An enjoyable must read and an adaptable text for the classroom!" * Karen V. Hansen, author of A Very Social Time: Crafting Community in Antebellum New England *



Book Information
ISBN 9781479827329
Author Margaret K. Nelson
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint New York University Press
Publisher New York University Press