Prof. Remo Siza,

Thank you for writing on this very important topic. I hope your thought-provoking article will generate discussions among scholars on the profession of the sociologist.

Thank you Gabriel. In my paper I sustain that the development of a profession is influenced by a multitude of factors: some that can be correlated to the development of the academic discipline and training processes, and others that are external to this relation and include interprofessional conflicts, the capacity of the professional group to exercise control on labour market dynamics and the recognition and legitimisation that the State is willing to grant to professional action in a specific field. Professions, as Abbott (1988) reminded us, are not static entities, they are in continuous movement and enter in competition with each other for specific areas of competence (Siza, 2013).

Dear professor Siza,

The link to the article and the download option do not work for me. I would like to read the whole article. Other downloads do work, it seems to be just this one. Can you help me?

Regards,

Lilian Hupkens.

Dear Lilian, I can send you the file privately, for copyright reasons. Send me your email

Dear Remo, you can send it to hupkensconsult (at) cs.com. Thank you very much. LH.

Dear Lilian, I have just sent my article to your email address

I think that the development of the sociologist working in non-academic settings is influenced by a multitude of factors: some that can be correlated to the cognitive development of the academic discipline and the training process, and others that are external to this and include interpersonal conflicts, the capacity of the professional group to exercise control on labour market dynamics and the recognition and legitimisation that the state is willing to grant to professional action in a specific field. Professions, as Abbott (1988) reminded us are not static entities, they are in continuous movement and enter in competition with each other for specific areas of competence (Siza, 2013).

Why are the occupational outcomes of sociology graduates still not satisfactory? The sociologist working in non-academic settings can rely on a set of disciplinary skills and capabilities, such as evaluation, planning and organisation of services, health policy, organisational analysis, and communication. Compared to the recent past, the professional identity of the sociologist working in non-academic settings is better defined, with more commonly shared required skills and operative domains. Research does not constitute the unique capabilities of sociological practice. In the tradition of Applied Sociology, sociologists in their professional practice use a plurality of “sociological methods, theories, concepts, and perspectives to understand, intervene, or enhance human social life” (Steele & Price, 2008, p. 4). The cognitive base of the profession is wide and stable. Nevertheless, the ability of sociologists to exercise a vestige of control over their areas of professional activity and their relationship with other professions is less and less meaningful.