Off the Sidelines and onto the Court!: Figuring a Modestly Radical Subject of Knowledge in the Work of John I. Kitsuse.

The author presents a personal account of discussing issues related to the field of sociology with sociologist John I. Kitsuse. As a sociologist, Kitsuse maintained an attitude of attentive modesty about the endless ways people can organize and perceive the things that concern them and what they think they should be done about them. The introduction of social problems theory is described. It is stressed that the theory required sociologists to study "definitional activities" and how the definition of these actions shaped various social responses and related practices. The meaning of "putative" conditions is discussed.