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DEADHEADS (Music fans) We need to pay more attention to the process of being sociologists and less attention to rates of productivity. To support this statement, I present a case study of the processes in which I have been involved while studying Deadheads, fans of the former rock band, the Grateful Dead. To avoid negative sanctioning, I proceeded slowly with this research and therefore had time to engage students, the media, and Deadheads in sociological dialogue. As a result, my teaching, ability to communicate sociological ideas, opportunities to incite sociological thought, and data were enhanced. To fulfill the promise of sociology "to revolutionize how people think" (Johnson 1997), we need to engage publics in dialogue and to establish routine rewards for doing so. After Jerry Garcia's death in August of 1995, 150 Deadheads wrote to me about their experiences grieving for him. Although these letters were chiefly interesting to me because they were filled with expressions of fear of loss of community and because Deadheads were mourning a public figure as a member of their family or at least as a personal friend, another theme stood out. Jerry was very busy after his death. He visited Deadheads in their dreams or communicated with them in creative symbolic ways, reassuring them about his well-being and their future survival. Well, I have to admit I was curious about whether Jerry would communicate with me.
Approximate Word count = 900
Approximate Pages = 3.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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