Climate Activists, Whistleblowers, and Bottle Collectors: Social Figures as a New Object of Sociological Research

The Climate Activist, the Whistleblower, the Bottle Collector, the Nerd, and White-collar Workers are all social figures. These figures emerge in times of profound social change. As human types—defined by traits such as name, age, gender, and race—they vividly embody the ongoing transformations. They become focal points in public discourse, articulating contemporary issues and challenges. In this way, they serve as mediating forms through which societies negotiate the changes unfolding around them. This article introduces social figures as a new object of sociological inquiry. Drawing on insights from sociology, cultural anthropology, and feminist theory, we conceptualize social figures as relational, circulating, and ethically charged mediators of social change. We outline an analytical framework that includes defining criteria for their empirical identification, situating them within specific temporal and spatial contexts, tracing their interrelations, and assessing their broader social significance.