Category SOCIOLOGY

MARX CLIMB GAME Climb the mountain of dialectical materialism! Answer questions correctly to ascend through 4 levels of Marxist theory and reach the communist summit. Level 1 The Bourgeoisie Factory Understanding Class Structure Level 2 The Surplus Value Mine Labor…

Bureaucracy Bureaucracy is the institutional core of modern governance. Sociologists explain its rational-legal design (Weber), dysfunctions (Merton, Gouldner, Crozier), organizational pathologies (Parkinson’s Law, Peter Principle), and contemporary shifts (street-level discretion, New Public Management, post-bureaucratic/network governance). Indian illustrations anchor concepts to…

Dimensions of Stratification — Ethnicity and Race Ethnicity and Race are socially constructed dimensions of stratification based on perceived cultural or biological differences. They create systems of inclusion and exclusion, influencing identity, life chances, and power. While race historically justified…

Dimensions of Stratification — Class and Status Class and Status are two principal dimensions of social stratification that determine people’s life chances, power and prestige. While class derives from economic relations, status derives from social honor and prestige. Together they…

Positivism and Its Critique in Sociology Positivism established sociology as a science of society, modeled on the natural sciences and oriented to observation, measurement, causality, and prediction. From Auguste Comte to Émile Durkheim, and later the Vienna Circle (Logical Positivism),…

Feminist Research Methodology in Sociology Feminist Research Methodology challenges the male-centered bias of traditional sociology and redefines how knowledge is created, validated, and applied. It insists that gender is a central category of analysis and that research must aim not…

Critical and Emancipatory Research Methodology in Sociology The Critical and Emancipatory strand of research methodology arises from Marxist theory and the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. It challenges the positivist idea of value-free science and argues that all knowledge is…

Positivist Research Methodology in Sociology The Positivist strand is the earliest and most influential tradition in sociological methodology. Rooted in the model of natural sciences, it views society as an objective reality governed by discoverable laws. Thinkers like Auguste Comte…

Scope of the Subject (Sociology) Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of society — its structures, institutions, processes, and meanings. The scope of sociology defines its subject matter, boundaries, and interrelations with other disciplines. It seeks to understand social…

Karl Marx: Theory of Alienation 1️⃣ Background and Philosophical Roots Marx’s concept of alienation (Entfremdung) first appeared in his early work Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. It drew inspiration from Hegel’s idea of alienated spirit but replaced it with…

Émile Durkheim’s Division of Labor in SocietyDurkheim’s 1893 classic explaining how specialization of work transforms the moral basis of social cohesion. Exam Focus Explain how solidarity shifts from mechanical to organic forms, link with law, and discuss abnormal forms such…

Differences Between Karl Marx and Max Weber: A Comparative Summary While both Karl Marx and Max Weber are considered founding fathers of sociology, their methodologies and interpretations of society, power, and capitalism stand in stark contrast. Marx founded the **Conflict…

Karl Marx — Theories in a Nutshell (Hover for Meanings) 1) Historical Materialism Concept Explanation Base & Superstructure Economic base determines superstructure. Material Conditions Material/economic forces drive history, not ideas. Dialectical Process Change via contradictions → Thesis → Antithesis →…

Sociology, like other social sciences, seeks to understand human behavior and societal dynamics. However, it differs in its focus, methods, and scope. Below is a detailed comparison of Sociology with Psychology, History, Economics, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Political Science. 1. Sociology…