Cultivating Sociological Imagination in Higher Education: A Thematic Analysis of Students’ Pathways to Sociology

Amid growing concerns regarding the declining prestige and relevance of sociology in Indonesia, this study examines why students continue to pursue sociology as their field of study in higher education. Drawing upon C. Wright Mills’ concept of the sociological imagination and Paulo Freire’ critical pedagogy, the study investigates how family background, social environment, and educational experiences shape students’ decisions to pursue sociology. Using a qualitative research design with a thematic analysis approach, the study is based on in-depth interviews with ten undergraduate sociology students at Universitas Negeri Surabaya. The findings reveal that students’ interest in sociology emerges through three interconnected processes. First, family environments characterized by openness toward social issues, diversity, and critical discussion foster early social awareness and moral sensitivity. Second, interactions within heterogeneous social environments encourage students to critically reflect upon inequality, community relations, and broader social realities. Third, sociology teachers play a significant role in cultivating students’ critical consciousness through dialogical, participatory, and reflective pedagogical practices. The study reveals a sociological paradox: despite perceptions of declining disciplinary prestige and uncertain career prospects, students continue to pursue sociology as their biographical experiences, social contexts, and educational encounters foster sociological curiosity and critical consciousness. They regard sociology as both an academic discipline and an intellectual and ethical resource that enables them to advance social justice, engage with communities, and contribute to social change. Bringing Mills’ concept of the sociological imagination into dialogue with Freire’s critical pedagogy, the study illuminates how the interplay of personal biography, social structure, and pedagogical experience shapes students’ decisions to study sociology.