C. Wright Mills is best remembered for his highly acclaimed work The Sociological Imagination, in which he set forth his views on how social science should be pursued. Hailed upon publication as a cogent and hard-hitting critique, The Sociological Imagination took issue with the ascendant schools of sociology in the United States, calling for a humanist sociology connecting the social, personal, and historical dimensions of our lives. The sociological imagination Mills calls for is a sociological vision, a way of looking at the world that can see links between the apparently private problems of the individual and important social issues.Leading sociologist Todd Gitlin brings this fortieth anniversary edition up to date with a lucid introduction in which he considers the ways social analysis has progressed since Mills first published his study in 1959. A classic in the field, this book still provides rich food for our imagination.

C. 赖特-米尔斯因其备受赞誉的作品《社会学的想象力》而被人们所熟知，他在该书中阐述了他对社会科学应该如何追求的观点。社会学想象力》一经出版就被誉为有说服力的强硬批判，它对美国正在兴起的社会学流派提出异议，呼吁建立一种连接我们生活的社会、个人和历史层面的人文社会学。米尔斯呼吁的社会学想象力是一种社会学视野，一种看待世界的方式，能够看到个人明显的私人问题和重要的社会问题之间的联系。著名社会学家托德-吉特林通过清晰的介绍使这本40周年纪念版的内容与时俱进，他在介绍中考虑了自1959年米尔斯首次发表研究报告以来社会分析的进展情况。作为该领域的经典之作，这本书仍然为我们的想象力提供了丰富的素材。