Retracing the theories of Mead, Blumer, and Park, the author reveals an enduring sociological relevance that has been hidden in professional myth and rhetoric, and argues that scholarly progress cannot be demonstrated in substantive terms but only rhetorically claimed, and thus can be understood today only as a political sociology of knowledge. Maines provides an array of empirical studies drawn from pragmatist and interactionist precepts to illustrate how a credible general sociology can be framed and developed. This book is not about interactionism per se; rather, it is an invitation to reconsider the promise of a more mature general sociology, one that has a chance to develop systematically rather than haphazardly and without direction. Regardless of where one stands on interactionism itself, the methodological strength and vivid presentation will earn this book a place in courses in method and in theory.