Citizen Scholar published (details and reviews)
My new book, Citizen Scholar: Public Engagement for Social Scientists, was published by Columbia University Press in January, 2025. It is available here from the press, here (use discount code CUP20 for 20% off), and other booksellers.
Reviews
Blurb: “To restore public trust in expertise, professors can’t just profess—they need to engage. Citizen Scholar explores how contemporary academics can do this, and why they might choose to. Cohen examines what it means a citizen scholar, and how the multiple roles that we often try to keep separate— teacher, researcher, activist, private citizen — might come together in meaningful ways. I would recommend the book to any researcher considering a more public-facing stance. Rather than a to-do guide, it explores deeper questions: What does it mean for a scholar to engage with the public? Why might a scholar choose to do so? Is there a civic responsibility to do so? What are the consequences of such activity with respect to integrity of one’s scholarship? Reading the book, I found that Cohen’s sociological lens helped me understand the tightrope walk I’ve been facing for years as I struggled to balance my private and public personas in a social media world.” —Carl Bergstrom, coauthor of Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World, on Bluesky
Blurb: “Active in both scholarship on the family and public engagement, Philip Cohen is ideally positioned to write on how to maintain openness and rigor in our efforts at public intervention and to make the case for using our knowledge in the public interest. Citizen Scholar is a masterful book that all social scientists who would like to have a broader impact on policy and political debates should read.” —Jeff Manza, coauthor of Whose Rights? Counterterrorism and the Dark Side of American Public Opinion, blurb.
Review in Science magazine: “Scientists as advocates: A sociologist rejects the notion that science is inherently apolitical, urging scholars to join the public square” Excerpt: “Should academic scientists be openly political? Or should they instead focus their efforts on reducing the likelihood of their personal values biasing their research? When might public engagement do more harm and when might it do more good? Cohen’s position is firm—our values are inherently inseparable from our science, and we must act accordingly.”
