Die sosioloog as meningsvormer

The sociologist as an opinion leader. The role of the sociologist as an opinion leader is dealt with in this article. An adapted typology, based on Merton's typology of opinion leaders, is discussed and elucidated with examples of the roles sociologists have played in recent times, especially since the beginning of this century both inside and outside South Africa. Four roles are discussed, namely, the role of the ‘factotum’ (the local opinion leader with a low profile), the role of the ‘community leader’ (the local opinion leader with a high profile), the role of the ‘expert/craftsman’ (the cosmopolitan opinion leader with a low profile) and the role of the ‘politician/ideologist’ (the cosmopolitan opinion leader with a high profile). An attempt is made to identify examples of each type and to discuss them with reference to publications (where these are available) which are relevant to the topic.