THE SOCIOLOGIST’S PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY: CONTRIBUTIONS TO ITS ANALYSIS

Abstract

The (re)formulation of the sociologist's professional identity has been, and it is, a process of permanent search for legitimation and institutionalisation. This paper aims to discuss the sociologist's professional identity, thus seeking to add to a deepening of this subject. For this purpose, a bibliographic search was carried out on this topic, starting from the situation of Sociology in Portugal. Furthermore, the authors' experience in teaching and research in the area of Sociology and related social sciences of about 20 years was also used. It is concluded that, in analytical terms, it is possible to differentiate ideal type profiles of the sociologist's professional identity. Yet, there is the need to be aware, on the one hand, of the possibility that the same sociologist can share features of more than one type, and, on the other hand, of the fact that, over time, both the sociologist's professional identity and the typology itself may be subject to changes.