ABSTRACT
This chapter maps and compares the public engagement of sociologists in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The public sociology, despite its recent origin, reflects a long-standing tension in the discipline, between its pursuit of scientific professionalism and commitment to public engagement. Sociology in Singapore has historically engaged closely in public issues, in particular in the 1970s and1980s when sociological expertise was in great demand in numerous state-funded projects to meet the challenges of nation-building. The sociology department in the National University of Singapore (NUS), the only institutional base for the discipline until the recent decade, also emphasized its active role in providing consultancy. Sociologists in Hong Kong were rarely approached by the colonial government for policy consultancy, but neither did they perceive much risk when engaging the public. Sociology was established in Taiwan by a small group of Chinese sociologists against a generally hostile political climate.
