ABSTRACT
J. A. Barnes's Who Should Know What? is an entirely literate, engaging essay in the sociology of sociology. That Barnes is himself caught in the dilemmas he poses should come as no surprise. He appreciates that giving full attention to the rights and interests of all parties to an inquiry may cause empirical research to become innocuous and trivial. He also recognizes the need to provide some protection for subjects of investigation, especially those least able to defend their own interests. Curiously, Barnes perceives the threat of social science to be great because he exaggerates its potency. The unstated premise of his text is that measures to ensure safety and privacy are needed because of the impact of social research. For the most part, Barnes navigates perilous waters with admirable clarity and fairness. He is profoundly aware of manifold critiques of the social sciences, especially of sociology and anthropology, as agents serving the powerful while studying the powerless.
