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Podcast: New Books in Sociology
Episode: Margaret K. Nelson, "Sociology Meets Memoir: An Exploration of Narrative and Method" (NYU Press, 2024)
Description: 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 cl...