The Societal Territory of Academic Disciplines: How Disciplines Matter to Society

Abstract This paper analyses the interrelations between academic disciplines and society beyond academia by case of sociology in Norway. For that purpose, this introduces concept disciplines’ societal territories, which refer to bounded spaces are shaped knowledge a discipline, premised on linkages discipline its audience. By mapping sociologists’ reported contributions changes academia, firstly shows how territories established recurring engagement with certain topics research users. Secondly, it traces interactions researchers their users, identifies four ideal typical pathways cognitive territory Norwegian is transformed into territories. A key observation establishment co-determined structures use among As for Norway, questions therefore arise over interdependency sociologists as ‘suppliers’ ‘demand side’ research, autonomy sociological selecting focus attention.