I have written a strictly autobiographical essay about the half dozen areas or fields in which I have done sociological research during my career. One reason for writing the essay is to encourage students to become what I call a “multi,” there being too few in sociology, as in other disciplines in which most researchers do their work in one field. I hope the essay demonstrates that working in many fields can make for a satisfying and productive career. Research across areas also encourages comparative work, and if enough young people become multi-field researchers, sociologists might then develop more interdisciplinary skills, which is even now desirable and may one day be necessary for all the social sciences. My essay also describes how and why I became interested in my six fields and how I moved between them during my career. The rest of the paper describes my major studies and other activities in my fields as well as the institutional and other contexts that I believe have affected my work.
