Debates about the state of Australian sociology have raged for as long as sociology has existed in Australia. Concerns about the discipline’s future may be inevitable for a critical, reflexive discipline, but to those entering the discipline, it is neither instructive nor productive to be subjected to lingering disciplinary anxieties. After more than fifty years, it is time to take stock of the differing visions of sociology, and examine the arguments about the health, or otherwise, of Australian sociology. To advance this debate, we consider the signs and benchmarks of a ‘successful’ sociology as expressed in The Australian Sociological Association magazine, NEXUS, and key writings from Australian sociologists. We suggest that much of the disagreement over the status of sociology derives from the way ‘disciplines’ and ‘success’ are defined. Regarding sociology to be an heterogeneous, multi-modal, social institution and practice, we propose a way forward in our efforts to represent ourselves.

自从社会学在澳大利亚存在以来，关于澳大利亚社会学状况的争论就一直在激烈进行。对于一门批判性的、反思性的学科来说，对学科未来的担忧可能是不可避免的，但对于那些进入该学科的人来说，遭受挥之不去的学科焦虑既无益也无益。五十多年后，是时候评估社会学的不同观点，并检查有关澳大利亚社会学是否健康的论点。为了推进这场辩论，我们考虑了澳大利亚社会学协会杂志 NEXUS 以及澳大利亚社会学家的重要著作中所表达的“成功”社会学的标志和基准。我们认为，关于社会学地位的大部分分歧源于对“学科”和“成功”的定义方式。