The study of the world around us

Introduction
Meaning of Sociology:

 Derived from two words.

 The Latin “Socious” mean companionship
 and the Greek “logos” mean study.

 So the term literally means the study of human

companionship or association or society.
 What Is Sociology?
 Sociology is the scientific study of society. (August Comte)
 Sociology is the study of social action. (Mex Weber)
 Sociology is the study of collective behavior. (Park & Burgess )
 Sociology is the study of social facts through social
institutions”.(Emile Durkhiem)
 Sociology is the study of humans living together .(Tonnies)
 Sociology is the study of social groups on the basis of social
interaction”. (Simmel)
 Sociology is the scientific study of social aspects of human life.
(Mack Young)
 Conclusion: On the basis of above definitions, we can conclude
that sociology is the science of society, human behavior, human
interaction and relationships.
 ORIGIN / HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SOCIOLOGY:

 Systematic study of Sociology started with Greeks

 Plato in his republic and Aristotle in his ethics discussed society
 They considered men as a social animal and the need of
society.
 The modern sociology was coined by August Comte.
 That’s why August Comte is known as father of the modern
sociology
 He is considered as the founder of modern sociology.
 He called it “Social Physics”.
 What is Science
 Science is the study of organized and verified knowledge
covering both theory and fact, these characteristics are:
 Science is “a body of systematically arranged knowledge
that shows the operation of general laws.”
 Why Is Sociology a Science

 Sociology is a science as Biology,

Physics or Chemistry.
 Social sciences, like natural and
Biological Sciences, use a vital
methodology.
 This means that a social scientist clearly
states the problems he or she is
interested in and clearly spells out how
he or she arrives at their conclusions.
 Generally, social scientists follow the
procedure in the light of existing
literature.
 What is Society

 Individual is the basic component of society.

 The interaction of individuals is the basic components of
society.
 The interaction of individuals with each other gives birth to
group.
 The social groups interact with each other and develop
relationships with each other, leads to a society
 Individual + individual = Group
 Group + Group = society
 Grouping on the basis of likeness and difference
 Within the society there are pattern and grouping based on
likeness and differences
 Likenesses create a chain of relationship among
individual having similarity in one or more conditions
 Like profession, same residence, same cast, family,
kinship, collage, age sex etc.
 Consciousness of kind developed based on similarities,
interest from group, categories. E.g. Biotechnology,
chemistry, physics male, female doctor.
 These difference lead to variety of human behavior and
social division of labor (specialization)
 Man is dependent on society for the basic needs i.e
food, clothes, shelter.
 E.g village society, national society,
 Meaning of society

 This term has been derived from a Latin word 'socious' that
means association or companionship.
 Thus society means 'A larger group of individuals, who are
associative with each other'.
 Definition of Society

 Maclver: It is a web of social relationship, which is

always changing.
 A.W. Green: It is the largest group in which individual
have relationships
 Prof Wright: It is a system of relationships that exists
among the individuals of the groups.
 Conclusion: large group of people/ individual who are
living together, having common social system, common
interest and common need of life.
 Characteristics of Society

 Society is a largest human group.

 It satisfies the needs of its members.
 Having Sense of belonging and cooperation.
 It is more or less permanent association
 It is abstract (Because social relationships can be felt and imagined and
cannot be seen).
 Everyone in society is dependent upon every other member.
 It should be organized i.e. will be having division of labour.
 It will be having likeness and differences.
 Due to these differences, variety in human behaviours and division of
labour and specialization of roles is there.
 It is always changing.
 It is a self-sufficient social system.
 It lasts for a longer period of time than groups and
communities.
 It will form a social structure through social institutions i.e.
family, education economic, political and religious institutions.
These basic five institutions are found in all societies of the
world.
 One of the characteristic of society has its own culture
 Cooperation and Conflict are also found in society
Types of societies

 Thousand of societies
 Classification on some basis (Taxonomy)
 Societies are categorized based On
1. Based on features/characteristics of Society
2. Based on subsequent strategies/ technology/ evolution
 Characteristics of Hunting and Gathering
societies
 Family was the society's primary institutions. Family used to determine food and to
socialize children.
 They were nomadic.
 Societies used to be small in size (40-50 members).
 Members of them were mutually dependent upon each other.
 Male are supposed to be hunters and female gathers as there was division of labour on
the basis of sex.
 Constant Need To Face Danger
 No desire to acquire wealth.
 Two reason 1. no wealth to be acquire 2. shared are norms
 It is expected to share food resources
 Sharing of food is insurance for those who have not collected foods
 Family and Kinship is the only institution
 Family is everything
 Based on kinship
 Absence of political institution
 No difference b/w leader and followers
 No division of labour except age and sex
 Simple Religious Belief (or No religion)

 Pastoral/Herding society

 Relies on domestication of animal

 Major mean of survival
 Many people are living in desert so they start domestication of animals
 pastoral societies (7,500 years ago) only have to move when the land in
which the animals graze is no longer usable.
 Pastoral societies also allow for job specialization, since not everyone is
needed to gather or hunt for food.
 For example, while some people breed animals, others are able to produce
tools or clothing, which allows for specialization in these areas.
 Such society exists even today in Middle East, Africa, Tibet, Middle Asia and
Northern part of Nepal.
Characteristics of Pastoral
Societies
 Large in size as compared to H&G societies 100-even thousand
 Technological innovations is the domestication of animal for food
 Provide surplus food
 Beginning of inequality
 Accumulation of surplus resources
 The society was divided on people having more animals and less
animals.
 Some which have better access to sources become more powerful then
other.
 Pattern of chiefdom began as powerful and wealthy secure positions.
 Nomadism coupled with trading
 Development of religious belief (commonly believes on
God or gods)Judaism , Christianity and Islam originated
 Dispute over grazing start
 In Pastoral society, the system of job specification
started. For example some people bred animals, some
to produce tools or clothing etc.
 Slavery system start for own work by conquerors
 Political and economic institution become appear
 Horticulture Society
 Social system based on horticulture
 These societies rely on the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and plants in order to
survive.
 Mode of production is digging stick or used to cultivation small garden through hand
made tools.
 often forced to relocate when the resources of the land are depleted or when the
water supplies decreased.
 Some in existence in middle east and subsequently spread to china and Europe. While
still existing in Africa
 Horticultural societies formed in areas where rainfall and other conditions allowed
them to grow stable crops.
 The technological advances led to an increase in food supplies, an increase in
population, and the development of trade centres.
 This created more stability and more material goods and became the basis for the first
revolution in human survival.
Characteristics of Horticulture Societies

 Invention of Hoe allows for cultivation of land.

 The primary source of food and income is fruit production.
 Such society is often forced to relocate when the resources
of the land or water supplies decrease
 Herding is common in poor soil while horticulture is common
in fertile soil
 Use of Slash and burn technic and use the soil for 2-3 year
until the soil exhausted
 Food security`
 Surplus food
 Settle people for long time
 Complex division of labour (some people no longer work
for food production)
 Specialized role and status appear
Shaman (religious leader), traders, craft worker
 Emergence of political institution
 Slavery system start
 Agriculture societies

 agricultural society present around 6000 year ago

 The invention of plough lead to the beginning
 First arose in Egypt
 Cultivation of large field
 The society where people get survived by carrying out agriculture activities is
agriculture society.
 Main source of productions agriculture and cultivations
 Animals are used to pull plough for cultivation.
 Increases in food supplies, led to larger populations than in earlier communities.
 New tools for digging and harvesting were made of metal and this made them more
effective and longer lasting.
 Human settlements grew into towns and cities and particularly bountiful regions became
centres of trade and commerce.
Characteristics of Agriculture societies

 The primary source of livelihood and residence is from

agriculture products.
 Cultivation of land through plough
 Increase food production with use of plough
 Animal power were use to pull the plough which enable
person to achieve greater productivity
 One person with an animal drawn plough could do the
work of many workers with stick and hoe
 Irrigation start which made possible to cultivate on
lands that are previously useless for food.
Characteristics of Agriculture
societies
 Increase size of society
 Appearance of cities: the full time specialist who are
engaged in non agriculture activities found to concentrate
on compact places which lead to cities and towns.
 Emergence of classes due to unequal production, minority
enjoy a surplus produced by working majority.
 So for the first time two distinct class emerged “those who
have own land and those who worked on other land”
 This sort of society is categorized into landlord and farmer
class.
 it emerge political institution
 Power is concentrated with single hands
 Industrial Society

 A society where mode of production focuses primarily on

manufacture goods with the help of machinery for the survival.
 people are involved in producing different sort of products, either
for survival or business is called industrial society.
 The term industrial societies originate from Saint Saimon who
choose it to reflect the emerging role of manufacturing industry
in 18th century in Europe.
 Industrialization brought about changes in almost every aspect of
society.
 Industrial Society

 In the eighteenth century, Europe experienced a dramatic rise in

technological invention in an era known as the Industrial
Revolution.
 It absorb/transformed or destroyed all other type of societies
 One of the results of increased productivity is the invention of
machines.
 The most advance societies are present today in north America,
Europe and east Asia including Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
South Korea
 Characteristics of Industrial
society
 The primary focus is given to industrial development and the use of machine for manufacturing goods.
 Industrial society link with industrial revolution
 Technology initiating vast and rapid social change (high technological innovation)
e.g. Steam engine, electric power, atomic energy, bullet train etc.
 In the previous societies, there wasn't much gap between rich and poor but there lies a huge gap
between wealthy and poor now.
 High productivity of industrial society stimulate population (ten to hundred of million)
 Larger societies with huge population
 Majority population prefer to live in urban areas where more jobs are located
 Population growth rate increase sharply
 New medical technology expend life expectancy but can control due drop of birth rate
 Birth rate in China
 Characteristics of Industrial
society
 Specialization lead to highly complex division of labour
(Specialization in every field)
 Industrial society generate thousands of new jobs
 Family lose importance, Family loose their basic responsibilities i.e.
educating and socialization
 Religion losing its hold over the people
 Religion not playing important role in controlling behaviour of the
individuals
 New value and belief merged in societies
 Technological and scientific invention lose religion importance and
hold on people
 Characteristics of Industrial
society
 Increase importance of science and education
 Science first time emerge a new and important institution
 All things based on scientific knowledge
 Widening gap b/w rich and poor
Karl max refer it Capitalist and exploiting class
 Spread Heterogeneous culture
 Give rise secondary group corporation, political parties, business
houses Govt bureaucracies, associations,
 New life style and value create heterogeneity
 Post-industrial Society
 Information societies, sometimes known as post-industrial or digital
societies, are a recent developed society.
 Unlike industrial societies that are rooted in the production of material
goods, information societies are based on the production of information
and services.
 Name refer by Daniel Bell in 1937 post industrialism
 Relies on computer and other electronic devices that create, process,
store, and apply information
 Since the economy of information societies is driven by knowledge and
not material goods, power lies with those in charge of storing and
distributing information.
 Post-industrial Society
 Members of a post-industrial society are likely to be employed as sellers
of services software programmers or business consultants,
 for example instead of producers of goods. E.g. online shopping, Uber
service, net banking, Online Jobs
 Social classes are divided by access to education, since without
technical skills people in an information society lack the means for
success.