Sociology made relevant: reflections on the use of sociological theory in research on social problems

This article contributes methodological reasoning on how researchers can not only make social problems more sociologically relevant but also make sociology more relevant for research on social problems and social work. Using what David Silverman has described as a “two-step trick”, social problems are made more sociologically relevant, and also sociology is made more relevant for research on social problems. By moving in and out of the sociological territory, researchers may reframe and redefine the object of their studies to gain new insights and perspectives. Three specific examples from different contexts are discussed, in which sociology may function as such a perspective-generating device: institutional treatment, the deaf world and the problem of corruption.