Engagement beyond academia is becoming increasingly important to, and valued by, universities and academics because of a multitude of factors – from the acknowledgement that the plurality of knowledge in society enriches research to the current funding environment. Even defining the breadth and boundaries of public engagement is a challenge for academics and practitioners working in the field, so this book takes the sensible course of focusing on a particular engagement journey. The science café model of the Social Science in the City initiative that forms the basis of this collection of essays and discussions provides a lens for the editors to explore the different ways in which the theory and practice of public engagement can be applied to the social sciences. In doing so, they also consider the possible distinctiveness of a social science café.

The book is divided in three parts: an introduction to the conceptual issues around public engagement and the Social Science in the City initiative, a set of contributions from academics based on their involvement in the science cafés and chapters from participants on the outcomes that the dialogic space of the café helped produce for different individuals and publics. As such, the book follows the journey of the science cafés themselves – from recognition of the need for engagement through to conception, delivery and finally reflection. Permeating through the entire book is Burawoy's concept of public sociology which ‘engages public beyond the academy in dialogue about matters of political and moral concern’ (Burawoy, Reference Burawoy2004).

Part I outlines the major influences on the evolution of public engagement, from the deficit model of science education as a way to ‘fill in gaps’ in public knowledge to the discourses of participation, partnership and consultation that have been central to policy developments in the UK for a number of decades. The adoption of public engagement by universities in the shifting landscape of higher education is summarised, with particular reference to institutional and political changes such as the Beacons for Public Engagement and the linking of engagement to impact through the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Since this book was written, however, the discourse around impact and engagement in light of the REF has progressed; as such it is unfortunate, but completely understandable, that this part feels a little out of date. Indeed, by the time this review is published, the results of the REF 2014 will have been released, thus leading to further analysis of its influence on public engagement's role in higher education. The final chapter of Part I explores the aim of Social Science in the City to tap into an alternative discursive space and encourage reflection beyond the university. It clarifies not just the practicalities of setting up a science café series but also the difficulty of reaching diverse groups and the challenge of carrying out an emerging dialogue which, by its nature, cannot be anticipated or predicted.

The eight chapters in Part II are vignettes about particular research areas, presumably based on the academic contributors’ science café discussions, although this is explicitly noted only once. They comprise a range of research agendas spanning the Occupy movement, the politics of austerity, specific policy issues such as an ageing population and road safety, as well as broader questions of individual and community resilience. As a collection of research summaries, there could have been a risk that they merely provide an introduction to current social science thinking, albeit in areas where engagement has led to developments in theory and practice. However, the implicit theme running through this section is Burawoy's idea that researchers should be concerned with the values that underpin their work and the ways in which it might be utilised. In his chapter on the 2011 riots, Steve Hunt asks why sociologists research particular themes if they are not touched, either directly or indirectly, by them. He, as do other contributors, outlines the role of engagement and the reasons for participating – from analysing the effectiveness of engagement in bringing about attitude change to providing a reflexive understanding of public concerns that helps inform their work.

In the final part of the book, the chapters look at what the social sciences represent for those working in community settings. Written from the perspective of practitioners as well as researchers and students involved in collaborative partnerships beyond the academy, the aim is to highlight some of the outcomes from the science cafes. The lack of homogeneity between the chapters (something acknowledged by the editors) makes it difficult to draw comparisons or pick out common threads beyond the complexity of negotiating the public domain. However, individual contributions such as the chapter written by Tansy Clark clearly articulate the impact of engagement on professional practice.

A key question concerns the distinctiveness of sociology with regard to public engagement, since, according to Burawoy, ‘sociology's distinctive object is civil society and its value is the resilience and autonomy of the social’. In this book, the editors make a convincing case for expanding Burawoy's concept of public sociology to that of public social science, where academics are concerned with the implications of their work beyond the university and their own role in participation and engagement. They do not broaden this to research as a whole, but, considering the title and focus of this book, this is a reasonable limitation.

Given the conflicting agendas, requirements and demands of public engagement, not to mention the differing understandings and styles of the contributors, it is perhaps not surprising that this book lacks a strong narrative argument. But it neatly captures some of the major contradictions and complications at the heart of public engagement in higher education – why universities do it, what it means for those involved and how to integrate theory and practice. Reading this book will not provide any answers, but it is a valuable reflection on the questions that arise when conducting engagement activities.