Sociological Imagination By C Wright Mills

The concept of the sociological imagination was first conceived in 1970 by a sociologist by the name of C Wright Mills. Mills concept of a sociological imagination highlights the interdependent relationship between the individual and society. According to Willis, it is important to consider four key factors, namely, the historical, cultural, structural, and critical factors, when conducting a sociological analysis. This essay will explain and analyse how Mill’s idea of a sociological imagination can be applied to indigenous health and life expectancy, and it will demonstrate how public ‘issues’ are the cause of what are typically perceived to be private ‘troubles’ (Germov, 2009).
An article published in “The Conversation” in June 2012 talks about the inequalities that Indigenous Australian’s experience in comparison to non-indigenous Australian’s. The data and information used in the analysis of this article was collected from the 2011 Australian census. The article reports that Indigenous Australian’s are relatively worse-off than non-Indigenous Australian’s in a number of key areas, such as: Education; and income and employment. The article concludes that whilst the inequality gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian’s is narrowing, nevertheless, Indigenous Australian’s are still at a significant
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Indigenous life expectancy is approximately ten years lower, and the median age of Indigenous Australian’s is Sixteen years lower. Furthermore, Indigenous Australian’s are twice as likely to commit suicide and to be living with a severe disability, and a significantly higher proportion of Indigenous Australian’s live in rural and remote