Political Sociology: Meaning, Nature, Scope & Importance PDF

ORIA LINE 9NBOUN oef POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY: CHAPTERI MEANING, NATURE, SCOPE & IMPORTANCE 2 I. WHAT IS PO...

ORIA LINE 9NBOUN oef POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY: CHAPTERI MEANING, NATURE, SCOPE & IMPORTANCE 2 I. WHAT IS POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY? Without any hesitation Political Sociology can be described as a sub-discipline of Poiitics which seeks to analyse politics in the social context. It studies power and domination in social relations as well as the sociological roots of political relations. structures and functions. It involves a study of state-society relationship However, there have been pre sent several different views about the meaning of Political Sociology. Political Sociology abounds in conflicting notions" Four Different Views (i). Political Sociology as Science of State. One view considers Political Sociology as the science of the state. Here the state is taken to mean either anation-state or a government. A nation-state is defined as a politically organized national society. A government-state is held to be a body of rulers and leaders of the national society. In this Sense Political Sociology is defined as a study of state which is designated as national society. "Political Sociology is mainly concerned uwith explanation of -Greer structure called the state." the peculiar social and Orleans (i). Political Sociology Studies interactions between Society and Politics. Several political sociologists, however, regard this view as narrow and limited. They are of the viewthat Political Sociology is refers to the process of interaction between society and politics. "Political science starts with the state and examines how it effects society while Political Sociology starts with society and exanines how it affectsthe state." -Bendixand Lipset,  Political Sociology: Meaning, Nature, Scope &Importance 11 (i), Political Sociology Studies Social Roots of Politics. Athird popular notion of Political Sociology defines it in terms of the integration of Sociology with Pol:tiot Science. Political Sociology studies sociological roots of politics. It uses sociological approach to politics". (iv), Political Sociology Studies Power in Society. A fourth view advocates that society. Political Sociology studies the exercise of power in "Political Sociology studies power and the exercise of power in society. It is the and domination in the social science of authority and command. It studies power context" -Maurice Duverger authority, command, This view of Political Sociology as the science of power, accepted by a large number of legitimacy and governance in all societies has been contemporary political sociologists. necessarily relating them to "Political sociology studies the Political Phenomena by their social deterninants." organisation of power. As a In other word, Political Sociology is the study of social Sociology and the Sociology of social discipline, it lies at the intersection of Politics of Politics. as the study of the relations Karte Nash writes that we can define Political Sociology analyze socio between state and society. The discipline draws on comparative history to political trends. II. NATURE/FEATURES OF POLITICAL SOCIOLOGY state, Political Sociology seeks to understand the process of interaction between forces and government and society, decision-making authorities and conflicting social interests. It studies relationship between a political system and its social, cultural and economic environment. ) Political Sociology is not Political Science because it is not a state centric discipline. It does not study the statecraft. (1) Political Sociology is not Sociology because it is primarily concerned with power in the social context. (ii) It is concerned not only with social but also the political aspect of power, authority and command in each society. political (iv) Political Sociology concentrates on the study of relationship between institutions, social institutions and society in general, rather than on at exclusive study of political institutions. ") If focuses attention of the relationship between the state and society and te Study of political processes which take plan within human societies and wiie aim is power.  Political Sociology: Meaning, 12 Nature, Scope & (vi) Political sociology involves and and the social basis of political interdisciplinary study politics competition and interactions and involved in the process of struggle for power in society. Iandmsociporotalnocgye (vii) Political Sociology aims at understanding the sources and the relations conflict as well as the proceSs of management of confliict or SOcial bases of study private interests, and secures consensus out of conflicts and accommodation. cthroughonffocuses through the exercise of power by the state and its government, It of the process by which politics achieves public order liccompromi t-resolumyritiosnaed out of on the (viii) The heart and soul of Political Sociology may be said to lie in exercise of political power in the sociological context. the capture and Broadly speaking political Sociology is the study of power social relationships. and domination in the III. POLITICAL Tobe more clear about the SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY OF POLITICS nature of difference between two terms: PoliticalPolitical Sociology, let us try to understand the scholars consider these two as the same Sociology and Sociology of Politics, Some while some others refuse to treat identical. The scholars belonging to the second these as Sociology is something more than Sociology of group advocate the view that Political changes which occur when political Politics. The latter defines the social change may occur due to political culture, machinery enters the social environment. The social political behaviour, political ideologies, political participation of masses, social basis of authority and legitimacy, patterns of political political consensus and cleavage, power, Sociology of Politics examines and tries to sort leadership and several other such factors. resulting from any political activity. It also tries to out the causes of tensions in society show the consequences and results of any political activity and its impact whole. both upon the common man and the society as a Sociology of Politics is asub-field of Sociology. Sociology of Politics makes an upon social aspects of all changes. Itenquiry into the society and places main emphasls argues that social forces which operate political phenomenaare moreimportant than the phenomena itself, which is the behina ue Concern Political Science.. It undertakes a of primay sociological political phenomena as a dependent variable and appraisal of politics and rega considers the Phenomena as the explanatory variable.Sociology of Politics is a subfield underlying s considers man as a social animal who is also of Sociolog) on the study of social political in nature. It therefore Concentrates relations. relations and in this exercise takes into account human political 10 Sun up, we can say that Sociology of Politics is a subfield of SoCIOlO5) A represents a sociological concern of politics. It takes variable and political process as a sociological phenomnena as the fundamental explanatory vartabie.  &Importance Political Sociology: Meaning, Nature, Scope 13 Ne doubt Political Sociology incorporates Political withinitself much of sociology of politics, synonymous. Sociology is indeed a subfield of Political yet the two are not connecting bridge between it and Sociology. It is: something more Science and serves as a Politics. than Sociology of Political Sociology believes in a dialectical relationship between Sociology and Political Science. socialand political variables. (1) It gives equal emphasis on both the relation to the society but also it (ii) Not only it explains the working of politics in by the state and its government examines the response to the exerCise of power environment of politics. as wellas the socio-economic makes an interesting analysis of the distinction between the Giovanni Sartori is He says that sociology of politics Sociology of politics and Political Sociology. producer. It is of the nature of an economic concerned with the consumer and not the Sociology which has buyers without producers and sellers. In contrast Political studies svstem producers. It account the buyers and the sellers, the consumers and the takes into society i.e. Inter-relationships and interactions between state, politics in relation with interdisciplinary hybrid involving thus an government and society. Political sociology is afusion of Politics and Sociology. Giovanne Sartori, "Political Sociology is Sociology of Politics plus According to something SOCIOLOoGY IV.Scope OF POLITICAL describe the scope of Political Sociology. it has been a relatively new It is not easy to literature is as yet quite limited. Various field of study which is still developing. Its several different ways. political sociologists define its nature and scope in the scope of Political Sociology in two Two major groups of scholars have discussed different ways. According to Greer and Orleans, "Political Sociology is concerned with the 1. of the legitimacy; the structure of the state, the nature and the conditions relations with their with their nature of the monopoly of force, and peoples Political Sociology is held to respective states". In other words, the scope of ad Concerned with state, power, consensus and legitimacy, participation political representation and the relationship between economic and development. Sociology in concerned 2. According to Lipset and Bendix, "the scope of Political concentration of with voting behaviour of communities and their nation; economic power and political decision-1naking, ideologiesfields, of political Political movements, and interest groups." In dealing with these politics of powerin relation to Sociology has a vast scope because it studies the all aspects of social relations.  Political Sociology: Meaning, Nature, Scope & 14 Political Sociology studiespower, authority and legitimacy of state in involves the activities of bureaucracy, interest Imreplaotritoannce social relations. It the people, groups, politictoal conflict and conflict-resolution, political culture participation ofdecision-making, and violencepoliticandal political movements, social change, socialization, areas/fields. revolution and some other observes that Political Sociology centers around two Maurice Duverger powerand authority i.e, both oppressor and integrator. To him its scope consists of: facets of in which the dialectic of antagonismssand (i) political structures integration unfolds: (i) the causes of conflict and integration in society;and (iüi) the way the conflicts are resolved and integrated. There are four main areas of research focus in contemporary Political Sociology: 1. The socio-political formation of the modern state. 2. "Who rules"? How social inequality between groups (class, race, gender, influences politics. etc.) 3. How public personalities, social movements and trends outside of the formal institutions of political power affect politics, and 4. Power relationships within and between social groups (e.g. families. workplaces, bureaucracy,media, etc.). 5. Political Sociology seeks to analyse the politicisation of social cleavages, e.g. class, race, caste, ethnicity, gender, religion and nationality. 6. The consequences of changing social values and attitudes on the political behaviour and interactions of the people of a state. 7. The impact of exercise of political power on social relations, values and the societal behaviour of the people. 8. The operation of political processes, political partnerships, electoral behaviour and human political behaviour in society. Political Sociology also studies as to how major social trends can affect the political process, as well as it tries to explore as to how various social forces work together to change political policies. Contemporary Political Sociologists apply several theories to substantive issues. Three major popular theoretical frameworks have been: (i) Pluralist Theory, (ii) Elite or Managerial theory, and (iii)Class analysis which overlaps with Marxist (i) Pluralist Theory sees politics primarily as aanalysis. contest among competing interest groups. (ii) Elite or Managerial Theory, which is also called a state-centered approach, explains what the state does by looking at constraints from organizational  15 PoliticalSociology: Meaning, Nature, Scope &Importance the managers, and interests that arise from structure, semi-autonomous state state as a unique power centre/ organization. political power of capitalist elites. The (ii) Social Class Theory emphasizes the based prinmarily on the prenmise of theory emerged from Marxism which was the economic exploitation of one classby another. It has two forms: one is Structure or Instrumentalist Approach, and the second is the Power governs?", and the second on Structuralist approach. The first focuses on "Who allows and encouragesthe state to "the way a capitalist econ0my operates and do some things but not others". and personality. For Political Sociology also tries to study the inter-play of poweranalyse the impact of tries to example, in the contemporary era of globalisation, it globalization upon identity of a person and of a nation. expanding. Thus the scope of Political Sociology has been continuously SOCIOLOGY V. IMPORTANCE OF POLITICAL AS A SOCIAL DISCIPLINE described as follows; The growing importance of Political Sociology can be gradually (i) As a scientific discipline the value of Political Sociology is bound to increase like every other branch of study. (iü) Political Sociology is relevarnt to Political Science in several ways. It has widened the area of the study of Politics. It has brought into focus that political variables have great impact upon society, culture and economic life of the people. (Gi) Political Sociology rightly places emphasis upon the study of the functions of groups in politics. (iv) Political Sociology rightly recognizes and advocates the importance of the study of voting behaviour of people, the factors of voting behaviour of the people of each society, and on this basis to draw generalisations about the election of the represerntatives of the people, party politics and legitimacy of the exercise of power in society. (v) Political Sociology has increased its importance of the study of Politics among nations and it has brought Politics and International Politics Closer. (vi) Political Sociology has played an important role in bringing closer all the sub fields of Politics. It has helped Political Science to become a more comprehensive social discipline focused on the study of politics in its all aspects, social, economic,cultural, and of course political. No one deny the fact that human political behaviour in iust one aspect of human behaviour in environment, particularly in society. Political behaviour is always Infiuenced by social behaviour, economic well-being and morality. More particulary human political behaviour is deterministically influenced by the system o s  o Political Sociology: Meaning, tNature, Scope & born ImportanCA 16 interactions among all the members of his society. He is relations and and pattern of behaviour from his family in a initial values and gets all his the roots for his political behaviour and relations. and peer family This provides human Hence, politicalhimbehaviour can be systematically pursued only by taking intothheacOunt goups, study itfs Sociology serves this necessity. social context. Political QUESTIONS Explain its Nature. 1. Define Political Sociology. characteristics and scope. 2. What is Political Sociology? Discuss its difference between Political o.. 3. Explain the nature of Political Sociology. What is the and Sociology of Politics? social discipline. 4. Discuss the scope and importance of Political Sociology as a