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Sociological Imagination
CHAPTER 1
SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIETY

Introduction
• Sociology as a distinct discipline of the scientific study of society emerged only in the second
half of the 19th century.
• Hence it is considered as the youngest of all Social Sciences.
• The contributions of early thinkers including Saint Simon, Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer and
Emile Durkhiem are immense in the development of this distinct discipline.
• Auguste Comte gave an identity to this discipline and hence is considered the father of
sociology.
• This discipline has a scientific methodology that makes it different from other Social Sciences
and commonsense knowledge.

Why are you Learn sociology?

• Sociology is the study of human social relationships and institutions.
• Sociology’s subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the
state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and
from social stability to radical change.
• Sociology aims at understanding how human actions and consciousness both shape and are
shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures.
• Sociology is an exciting and illuminating field of study that analyzes and explains important
matters in our personal lives, our communities, and the world.
• At the personal level, sociology investigates the social causes and consequences of such things
as romantic love, racial and gender identity, family conflict, deviant behaviour, ageing, and
religious faith.
• At the societal level, sociology examines and explains matters like crime and law, poverty and
wealth, prejudice and discrimination, schools and education, business firms, urban community,
and social movements.
• At the global level, sociology studies such phenomena as population growth and migration, war
and peace, and economic development.

Sociological imagination: The personal problems and the public issue

• Sociological imagination is the concept coined by the American Sociologist C. Wright Mills
• Sociological imagination explains how individual and society are dialectically linked
• It is the "the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society."
• To have sociological imagination a person must be able to pull himself / herself away from the
situation and think from an alternative point of view.
• Objective observation

Pluralities and inequalities among societies

• In the contemporary world, we belong to more than one society.
• When amidst foreigners reference to ‘our society’ may mean ‘Indian society’, but when amongst
fellow Indians we may use the term ‘our society’ to denote a linguistic or ethnic community, a
religious or caste or tribal society.
Prepared By: YASEER P K, HSST Sociology, WOVHSS Muttil [ www.hsslive.in ]
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Sociological Imagination
• Inequality is central to differences among societies.
• Some Indians are rich - Most are not
• Some are very well educated - Others are illiterate
• Some lead easy lives or luxury - Others toil hard for little reward
• Some are politically powerful - Others cannot influence anything
• Some have great opportunities - Others lack them for advancement in life
• Some are treated with respect while many others are ill-treated

Introducing Sociology
• Sociology is not the only subject to think about the social life of human beings.
• Sociological perceptions of society and social life are quite different from philosophical and
religious thoughts and commonsense knowledge.
• Sociology perceives norms and values as they function in actual social context.
• Sociology follows the scientific method of observation and analysis that can be checked upon by
others.
• Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies.

Sociology and Common sense knowledge

• Common sense is based on naturalistic and individualistic explanation. We can’t find any
type of scientific evidence.
• A naturalistic explanation of behaviour rests on assumptions.
• Sociology breaks away from both common sense observation and ideas as well as from
philosophical thought.
• Sociology emphasis on scientific procedures can be understood only if we go back in time.

• And understand the context or social situation within which the sociological perspective
emerged as sociology was greatly influenced by the great development in modern science.

The Intellectual Ideas that went in to making of Sociology

Thinkers Contribution Impact in Sociology
Natural and biological
• Sociology began to be categorized
evolution
• Stage of sociological development were identified
Charls Darwin • All life related by a
• Western sociology where regarded as the most
common ancestors
advanced societies.
Organic Analogy • Society compared to a living organism
Herbert Spencer
Social Darwinism • Social Structure and Function
• Adoption of method of Natural science for the
Enlightment in Europe
Thomas Hobbs and study of Sociology
• Emphasized reason and
John Locke • Natural phenomena like poverty began to seen
Individualism
social Problem
Other Intellectual Ideas
• French Revolution
• Social Surveys
• Concepts of western thinkers

Prepared By: YASEER P K, HSST Sociology, WOVHSS Muttil [ www.hsslive.in ]

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Sociological Imagination
Material Issues that went in to making of Sociology
• Industrialization was based on capitalism
• New attitude and Institutions emerged with capitalism
• Degradation of Mechanical Division of labour
• Expansion of Urban cities
• Clock regulated life become the basis of Social Organisation
• Change in the role of workers
Why should we study the beginning and growth of Sociology in Europe?
• Our past is closely connected with British Capitalism and Colonialism.
Growth of Sociology in India
• Colonialism, Industrialism and Capitalism
• Till recently Indians had to depend on western sociologist for understanding Social change in
India.
• Western Sociologist had several misconceptions regarding Indian Society
• The colonial officials saw 19th C India as the past of European society
• They saw little difference between Sociology and Anthropology in the Indian context.
• Colonial officials and Western scholars on sociology spread incorrect information about
Indian Society
o Village as Unchanging
o Infancy stage of Society
Scope of sociology
• Sociology is a general and systematic social science.
• Scope of sociology is very vast.
• Sociology studies the various forms of social relationships.
• Study of sociology gives us several intellectual benefits
• It is useful information about the social system in the present day society
• Sociologist follow a path of objective knowledge, free from bias and prejudices.
• Sociology gives an insight in to man’s life on the earth

Sociology is closely related to other social sciences.

• Sociology and Economics
• Sociology and Political Science
• Sociology and History
• Sociology and Psychology
• Sociology and Anthropology

Sociology and Economics

• Economics:
• Study of production and distribution of goods and services
• the relations of price, demand and supply; money flows; output and input ratios
• Economic development influence man’s social life. there exist a close relation between
economics and sociology.
• Economics approaches an issue exclusively with the interrelations of pure economic
variables such as the relations of price, demand and supply, money flows, output and input
relations, etc.,
• Objective of the economic analysis is to formulate precise laws of economic behaviour.

Prepared By: YASEER P K, HSST Sociology, WOVHSS Muttil [ www.hsslive.in ]

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Sociological Imagination
• Sociological approach looks at the issue in a broader context of norms, values, practices and
interests.
• Economic perception suggests a technical solution to the issue, but sociology encourages a
questioning and critical perspective.

Sociology and Political Science

• Political science is the study of the State and the Government.
• “State is a territorial society divided into government and subjects, claiming within its
allotted physical area, a supremacy over all other institutions”.-Harold. J Laski.
• The essential elements of the State are:
• Population,
• Territory,
• Government and
• Sovereignty.
• The state discharges its functions through the Government.
• The Government has three parts.(a) The Legislature. (b) The Executive and (c) The
Judiciary.

• Sociology studies the concept of power of the people in social context.

• Political science is concerned with government

• Power is most important aspects of political science. So it tries to study different aspects
in acquiring, distributing and maintaining power in the state.
• Political problems are often explained and interpreted with the help of sociological
principles.
• Every political problems as a social background.
• Political Scientist provide substantial contribution towards analysis of social problem.

• Sociologist study all means of social control, while political scientists confine themselves
to the study of governmental control.
• ‘Political sociology’

To be conclude..
• Sociology and Political science are interrelated.
• The Political parties, election system, political systems, forms of government, political
ideologies etc. are shaped and modified by human beings.
• No state can exist without human beings.’
• The state regulates human behaviour through laws. The state also influences the social,
religious, economic, and other activities of man.
• Family types, education, beliefs, traditions, practices and so on are shaped by the
prevailing political system.
• Political life cannot be separated from social life.

• Family, religion, education etc are agencies of political socialization.

Prepared By: YASEER P K, HSST Sociology, WOVHSS Muttil [ www.hsslive.in ]

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Sociological Imagination
• Based on the interdependence of the two disciplines, a new branch called 'Political
Sociology' emerged.
• Political Sociology focuses on the study of political behaviour

Sociology and History

• Sociology and History study society from two different angles.
• History studies past society.
• Sociology is concerned with the present society and to some extent with the future.
• The present society cannot be analysed without reference to the past society.
• Social history emerged as the result of the mutual relationship between the two
disciplines “Social history” is the historical analysis of social patterns, gender relations,
mores, customs and important institutions.

Sociology and Psychology

• What is Psychology?
• Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour.
• Psychology investigates an enormous range of phenomena:
• learning and memory, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion, thinking and
language, personality and social behaviour, intelligence, child development, mental illness,
and much more.
• Psychology studies the behaviour of an individual in a given context.

To be conclude…
• Psychology studies individual behaviour
• The subject matter of psychology is individual's intelligence, leaning, motivations, hopes,
fears, etc.,
• Sociology studies behaviour as it is being shaped by society
• Social Psychology studies how individual behaves in groups.

Sociology and Anthropology

• Anthropology is the study of Human race, especially of its origin, development, customs and
beliefs.
• Physical anthropology:- Biological origin of human race.
• Social and cultural anthropology :- Mansbehaviour in social situation

• Social anthropologist studies simple societies but sociologist studies complex societies

• Anthropologist used ethnographic research method. While sociologist used survey and
questionnaires.
• Tribal community and non- tribal community –(Discussion)

To be conclude….
• Sociology is the study of modern complex societies whereas Social Anthropology is the
study of simple societies.
• Social Anthropology studies simple societies in all their aspects while Sociology being the
study of complex societies focuses on certain aspects of the society·

Prepared By: YASEER P K, HSST Sociology, WOVHSS Muttil [ www.hsslive.in ]

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Sociological Imagination
• Social anthropologists rely on participant observation methods whereas the method of
study adopted by sociologists is survey and quantitative methods.

Prepared By: YASEER P K, HSST Sociology, WOVHSS Muttil [ www.hsslive.in ]