Partindo da constatacao que a pesquisa sociologica nao corresponde mais a sua definicao classica e que, consequentemente, o momento de a comunidade academica superar a contradicao entre a sociologia profissional e a sociologia critica chegou, o autor discute alguns pontos centrais da proposta de Burawoy acerca da sociologia publica. Por meio do recurso a experiencias provenientes da vida intelectual europeia, estadunidense e latino-americana, o autor, neste artigo esforca-se em relacionar a sociologia publica ao processo politico mais geral de reconhecimento dos direitos dos atores sociais, capaz de organizar o campo no interior do qual uma “sociologia geral dos atores” possa florescer e se desenvolver. O autor constata que existem tempos em que a demanda por teorizacao e mais urgente; e outras epocas em que a critica social tem prioridade. Ele conclui que, se a comunidade sociologica ainda afirma a necessidade de identificar os principais problemas sociais contemporâneos, entao a combinacao da sociologia publica com a sociologia profissional se faz mais necessaria. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: sociologia do conhecimento, sociologia academica, direitos sociais, atores politicos, critica social. PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY AND THE END OF THE SOCIETY Alain Touraine Beginning with the verification that sociological research doesn’t correspond to its classic definition anymore and that, consequently, the academic community’s moment to overcome the contradiction between professional sociology and critical sociology has arrived, the author discusses some central points of Burawoy’s proposal concerning public sociology. With resource to experiences coming out of Latin-American, North American and European intellectual life, this paper makes an effort in relating public sociology to the more general political process of recognition of social actors’ rights, capable of organizing the field inside which a “general sociology of the actors” can flourish and grow. This paper verifies that there are times in which the demand for teorization is more urgent; in other times, social critic has priority. And concludes that, if the sociological community still asserts the need to identify the main contemporary social problems, then the combination of public sociology with professional sociology is ever more necessary. KEYWORDS: sociology of knowledge, academic sociology, social rights, political actors, social critic. LA SOCIOLOGIE PUBLIQUE ET LA FIN DE LA SOCIETE Alain Touraine C’est en partant du principe que la recherche sociologique ne correspond plus a sa definition classique et que par consequent le moment est venu pour la communaute academique de depasser la contradiction entre la sociologie professionnelle et la sociologie critique, que l’auteur aborde quelques points essentiels de la proposition de Burawoy a propos de la sociologie publique. En faisant appel a des experiences issues de la vie intellectuelle europeenne, americaine et latino-americaine, ce travail essaie de faire le lien entre la sociologie publique et le processus politique plus ample de reconnaissance des droits des acteurs sociaux, capable d’organiser le domaine au sein duquel une “sociologie generale des acteurs” pourra s’epanouir et se developper. On en arrive a la constatation qu’il y a des periodes au cours desquelles la demande de theorisation est plus urgente alors qu’a d’autres epoques la critique sociale est prioritaire. La conclusion est que, si la communaute sociologique affirme encore le besoin d’identifier les principaux problemes sociaux contemporains, il est donc necessaire de faire de plus en plus le lien entre la sociologie publique et la sociologie professionnelle. MOTS-CLES: sociologie de la connaissance, sociologie academique, droits sociaux, acteurs politiques, critique sociale. Publicacao Online do Caderno CRH no Scielo: http://www.scielo.br/ccrh Publicacao Online do Caderno CRH: http://www.cadernocrh.ufba.br