Political Sociology Overview

Political Sociology

• Political sociology examines the role of the state, nations, and government.

Introduction

• Defining the state, its attributes, and forms
• Defining nation and nation-state
• Cultural and political nations
• Nationalism as a civic religion

Defining the State

• The state possesses the power to tax income and wealth without consent.
• It collects and stores vast amounts of data about individuals.
• Modern states penetrate daily life more extensively than historical states.
• Infrastructural power has significantly increased.
• State power can be categorized as despotic or infrastructural, and infrastructural power typically leads to greater legitimacy.
• A human community that possesses authority over the legitimate use of force within a defined territory.
• Relatively centralized, differentiated organizations with officials that control violence in a specific territory.
• A legal entity with political control over a specific territory and its people.
• The state operates as a network encompassing coercive, extractive, administrative, and judicial organizations that oversee territories and populations within them.
• The state is distinct from civil society and the nation.

The Formation of Modern European States

• A need for professional standing armies and resources arose due to the threat of war.
• Efficient centralized administration was required to secure taxes and control populations for monarch consolidations.
• Professionally trained, non-hereditary officials appointed by the monarch were necessary.
• These factors contributed to the rise of a modern bureaucratic state.

Sovereignty

• Unfettered jurisdiction encompasses legal control over a country's territory, people, resources, internal affairs, and external relations.
• The right to enact laws pertaining to the controlled territory.
• The right of the state to be recognized as an independent member of the international community, including membership in international organizations and adherence to international law.
• Rights to non-interference and territorial integrity.

Sovereign Equality

• In principle, all recognized sovereign states are considered equal in rights according to international law, regardless of size, military potential, or economic potential.
• This principle is relevant to global issues such as imperialism and colonialism.
• Westphalian principles are globally recognized.

Democratic and Undemocratic State Forms

• State forms include totalitarian and authoritarian states, liberal democracies, and welfare states.

The State vs. The Nation

• A nation is an "imagined community" of people sharing a meaningful sense of identity and distinct from similar groups.
• Nations can exist within or against states.
• States often attempt to assimilate cultural differences.
• All nationalisms don't necessarily seek their own state.

The Nation - Introductory Remarks

• Many perceive a nation culturally—shared culture, religion, language, experiences, history, and territory.
• Political nations are based on shared citizenship, civic society, and constitution.
• The nation-state is often the norm, combining a shared community with the state's legal and territorial principles.
• Governments are "regimes of power" that shift.

Nation-State

• A human group controlling violence within a territory. This manifests as a state.
• Nationalism: A political movement focused on achieving political independence.