'All the World's a Stage' and Sociologists Its Storytellers: Contemporary Sociology and the Art of Telling a Good Story

Abstract

Sociologists have become "storytellers." This chapter aims to explore the importance of writing in the ways of telling about society. Departing from two iconic books – The Sociological Imagination (Mills, 1959) and Storytelling Sociology (Berger and Quinney, 2004), issues related to "words," "voice," and "audience" emerge as key elements of the story writing/storytelling sociology craft's toolbox. At present, the pressures imposed by fast science and writing in highly competitive teaching and research environments, the growing technological development applied to research, and the expansion of hyper and social media represent new challenges for storytelling sociology. At the end, the chapter argues for the enduring importance of writing in the ways of telling about society, while recognizing the value of time in research: time to listen, write, and tell.