Eliot Freidson's Contribution to the Sociology of Professions

Abstract

This article discusses three major contributions of Eliot Freidson to the sociology of professions: (a) Freidson's work introduces a new concept of the professions rooted in the social organization of labor markets. This concept is far more harmonious with the contemporary situation of professions than any previous effort to conceptualize the differences between professions and other occupations. (b) The work provides an analysis of the spheres of professional control that result from the knowledge monopolies and gatekeeping activities of the professions. In this analysis, Freidson provides a new perspective on the meaning and social consequences of applied knowledge. (c) In a more humanistic vein, the work provides a measured defense of professions in the face of critics who see their powers as unnecessary, harmful, or both. The article concludes by commenting on a paradox suggested by Freidson's work. This paradox concerns the simultaneous strength and weakness of the contemporary professions, their strength as market shelters and their weakness as a status category and as activities connected to the larger political economy.