By Dr. Janardan Subedi
We live in an age of dazzling technology but deepening confusion—an era where information spreads faster than wisdom, where political noise drowns thoughtful discourse, and where social trust erodes under the weight of uncertainty. If the 20th century was the century of economics and geopolitics, the 21st century demands something more: an understanding of the social fabric itself. This is where sociology—the study of society, culture, and human behavior—becomes more vital than ever.
The American sociologist C. Wright Mills once described sociology as a discipline that awakens our “sociological imagination.” This is the ability to connect personal troubles with public issues, to see individual experiences within the broader structures of history, culture, and power. In today’s chaotic world, this imagination is not a luxury; it is a survival tool. Without it, we risk misreading our challenges as personal failures instead of systemic problems, or worse, misdiagnosing national crises a…
Nepal provides a perfect case study. A small Himalayan nation wedged between two geopolitical giants, Nepal’s story is one of resilience, aspiration, and recurring disillusionment. For decades, its leaders have promised prosperity, democracy, and inclusion. Yet the country often seems trapped in a vicious cycle of political instability, corruption, and underdevelopment. Why? Economics can only tell part of the story. Political science might map the conflicts. But only sociology—with its emphasis on imagi…
The Sociological Imagination: Seeing the Whole Picture
When you look at Nepal’s current political drama—the collapse of trust in parties, the rise of populists, the exodus of youth seeking education abroad—it is tempting to treat these as isolated problems. But C. Wright Mills taught us that the sociological imagination allows us to “grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society.” This means understanding how private troubles—like a young Nepali leaving for the Gulf—are tied to public issues such as systemic unemployment, failed …
Nepal’s post-2006 republican experiment illustrates this point. On paper, the country embraced federalism, secularism, and democracy. But the reality is messier. Political parties have turned into family-run enterprises. Institutions—courts, police, bureaucracy—are more loyal to power brokers than to the public. Sociology forces us to ask the hard questions: What kind of culture enables leaders to prioritize personal gain over public good? Why does corruption remain normalized? Why does the youth, once t…
Where Are Nepal’s Sociologists?
Sociology as a formal academic discipline was introduced to Nepal decades ago. It has produced hundreds of graduates, including many who earned doctoral degrees abroad, trained in some of the best universities in the world. Yet, one must ask: where are they now? Why are so few of these scholars writing, speaking, or actively engaging with the public? Why are they not screaming, alerting, and educating society about the very structural crises they are trained to diagnose?
This silence is baffling. I rarely see vibrant articles, books, or research outputs from Nepali sociologists that go beyond technical or bureaucratic reports. There is a scarcity of bold public scholarship—works that explain what sociology is, why it matters, and how it can guide us through this chaos. A discipline that should be shaping national discourse is, instead, confined to classrooms and conference halls, rarely making its voice heard in public debates.
This gap is not merely academic; it is a profound loss for the nation. At a time when Nepal faces unprecedented social upheavals—ranging from youth outmigration to deepening inequality—sociology should be at the forefront of public dialogue. It should be helping the country understand not only what is happening but also why it is happening. A sociological imagination, applied courageously and publicly, could illuminate the structural patterns behind corruption, the erosion of democratic values, and the m…
Global Chaos, Local Lessons
The relevance of sociology extends beyond Nepal. The world is in turmoil: rising authoritarianism, deepening inequality, and cultural polarization threaten social cohesion everywhere. Societies are fragmenting under the weight of misinformation and toxic nationalism. In this environment, sociology provides the tools to diagnose the underlying dynamics—whether it’s the populist surge in the West, the identity politics in South Asia, or the social media-driven echo chambers that distort reality.
Technology cannot solve these problems alone. Artificial intelligence can crunch numbers, but it cannot explain why people believe in conspiracy theories or vote against their own interests. Economics can model growth, but it cannot explain why growth benefits some and alienates others. Sociology, through its imaginative lens, examines social structures, collective behavior, and cultural meaning to reveal the forces shaping our lives.
Take Nepal’s mass labor migration as an example. Each year, hundreds of thousands of young Nepalis leave for the Gulf, Malaysia, or the West. The government celebrates remittances, which account for over 25% of GDP. But from a sociological perspective, this is a warning sign. What does it mean when a nation’s youth see no future at home? What happens to the social fabric when families are scattered, villages are hollowed out, and a generation of skilled labor is lost? The sociological imagination helps u…
Nepal’s Sociological Crisis
Nepal is not just facing economic stagnation or political instability. It is suffering from a sociological crisis—a breakdown of trust between citizens and the state, between the governed and the governors. Democracy has been reduced to periodic elections rather than a living culture of participation and accountability. Corruption is not just a legal issue; it is a social norm, deeply embedded in how people perceive power and opportunity.
Consider the recent scandals—from the fake Bhutanese refugee scam to the cooperative fraud cases involving senior political leaders. These scandals are not mere episodes of criminality; they are symptoms of a deeper social disease. They illustrate how power, privilege, and impunity have become normalized. A sociological imagination prompts us to ask: How do such corrupt systems reproduce themselves? How do ordinary people adapt to or resist them? What cultural values or institutional failures allow them …
The Four As and Mills’ Vision
In my own reflections, I often emphasize what I call the Four As: Accurate Assessment and Appropriate Action. Sociology is the science of accurate assessment. It teaches us to see the world as it truly is, beyond personal biases or political propaganda. But assessment alone is not enough. We need action—policies and reforms that are appropriate to the cultural and social context.
C. Wright Mills’ sociological imagination aligns with this principle. By understanding the intersection of personal troubles and structural forces, we can craft actions that address root causes rather than surface symptoms. For example, when designing youth employment programs in Nepal, policymakers often borrow foreign models without understanding local realities. A sociological approach would explore why young people distrust the state, why entrepreneurship is stifled by social hierarchies, and how mig…
Conclusion
In this chaotic world, sociology is not just relevant—it is essential. It reminds us that no problem exists in isolation. Every economic crisis has social roots. Every political upheaval has cultural dimensions. And every technological breakthrough has consequences for how we live, work, and relate to one another.
Nepal stands at a crossroads. It can continue to stumble through political theatrics and economic patchwork, or it can take a sociological turn—understanding its own social fabric and using that knowledge to build a fairer, stronger, and more resilient nation.
As C. Wright Mills might remind us, the sociological imagination is not just about understanding the world but about changing it. And in an age of chaos, that might be the most urgent task of all.
(Dr. Janardan Subedi is Professor of Sociology at Miami University, Ohio. He writes on political ethics, democratic transitions, and institutional accountability in South Asia.)
