4at03 Sociology and Economics

Siddaganga Institute of Technology
An Autonomous Institute, Affiliated to VTU Belagavi, Approved by AICTE

B.H.Road, Tumkur-572 103, Karnataka, India
4AT03 SOCIOLOGY AND ECONOMICS
Ar. Pooja.G.V
UNIT 1 : INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
TOPICS
• Introduction to Sociology - Nature, scope and utility of Sociology
• Relation of Sociology and its branches to Architecture and the Built

Environment
• Elements of Society – Bio - social, Family and Community
• Socio - cultural Association and Institution
• Types of Families – Single, Nuclear and Joint Families and their impact on
space
• Communities – Rural and Urban Communities - Origin, growth and nature of

settlements, their characteristics and spatial organization - physical and
visual
SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

INTRODUCTION
• The word “Sociology” was coined by Auguste Comte - French Philosopher

in 1839. He is considered as the ‘Father of Sociology’.
• The word “Sociology” is derived from the Latin word “Societus” which
means “society” and the Greek word “logos” means “science, study or
advanced study”.
• It is ‘science of society’ or ‘study of society’.

• In the family of social sciences, sociology is comparatively a new entrant. But
because of it dealing with social problems, social relationships and social
interactions the importance of the study of this subject has considerably
increased.
• It has considerably developed in methodology, scope and approach. Attempts
are now being made to study every social problem scientifically and
objectively, eliminating subjectivity to the extent possible a distinctive way of
examining human interactions.

• Sociology is the systematic study of social behavior and human groups. It
focuses primarily on the influence of social relationships upon people’s
attitudes and behavior and on how societies are established and change.
• As a field of study, sociology has a very broad scope. It deals with families,
business firms, computer networks, political parties, schools, religions and
labor unions. It is concerned with love, poverty, conformity, technology,
discrimination, illness, alienation, over-population and communities.

DEFINITION
Sociology is being defined differently by our sociologists,
• According to Ward “Sociology is science of society”.

• George Simmel states that it is a subject which studies “human inter-
relationships”.
• Giddins is of the view that “Sociology is scientific study of society”.
• Max Weber has viewed sociology as “Science which attempts imperative
understanding of social actions”.
• E.S. Bogardus says that, “Sociology may be defined as the study of the
ways in which social experiences function in developing, maturing and
repressing human beings through inter-personal stimulations.”

SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is,
• The study of society.
• The science of social life.
• The study of social relationships.
• The study of human behaviour in groups.
• The study of forms of social relationships.
• The study of social actions.
• The study of social groups and social systems.

THE ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY
Three major social changes during the 17th and 18th centuries are important
to the development of sociology.
• The rise of a factory-based industrial economy.
• The emergence of great cities in Europe.
• Political changes, including a rising concern with individual liberty and rights.
• The French Revolution symbolized this dramatic break with political and
social traditions.

FOUNDERS OF SOCIOLOGY
• Aguste Comte
System of Positive Polity or Treatise on Sociology
Instituting the Religion of Humanity
• Emile Durkheim
The Division of Labor in Society
The Elementary Forms of Religious Life
• Karl Marx
Das Kapital – ‘Critique of Political Economy’
• Max Weber
The Protestant Ethic and the Rise of Capitalism
The Sociology of Religion
The Theory of Social and Economic Organization
Aguste Comte
• Lived 1798 -1857

• Believed that the major goal of
sociology was to understand society
as it actually operates.
• Comte favored positivism - a way of
understanding based on science.
• Comte saw sociology as the product of
a three-stage historical development.
1. The theological stage, in which

thought was guided by religion.
2. The metaphysical stage, a transitional
phase.
3. The scientific stage

Emile Durkheim
• Lived 1858 - 1917

• Influential French sociologist, educator,
and public official.
• Studied the ties that bind society together.
• Traditional societies are united by social

similarities.
• Modern societies are united by
interdependence.
• Rapid social change leads to loss of social
norms and produces many social
problems.

Karl Marx
• Lived 1818-1883
• German philosopher Writer and social critic
• Personally involved in social change
• Believed social scientists should help to improve
society
• Struggle between owners and workers
• Capitalist owners will oppress ordinary people
• Eventually, people become alienated
• People lose control over their lives

Max Weber
• Lived 1864-1920
• German scholar who studied wide variety of
topics.
• Like other peers, he studied the impact of
industrialization on peoples’ lives.
• Support for value free studies and objective
research.
• Rationalization
1. Traditional societies emphasize emotion and
personal ties.
2. Modern societies emphasize calculation,
efficiency, self control.
3. Personal ties decline and people become
“disenchanted”.

The Structural - Functionalist Perspective
Parts of a social system work together to maintain a balance.
• Functions are actions that have positive consequences.
• Dysfunctions are actions that have negative consequences.
• Manifest functions are intended.
• Latent functions are unintended.

Structural Functionalism
The structural - functional theory is a framework for building theory that sees
society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity
and stability.
- It asserts that our lives are guided by social structures (relatively stable
patterns of social behavior).
- Each social structure has social functions, or consequences, for the

operation of society as a whole.
- Key figures in the development of this paradigm include Auguste Comte,

Emile Durkheim, Herbert Spencer, and Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton

● Robert Merton introduced three concepts related to social function:
• manifest functions, the recognized and intended consequences of

any social pattern.
• latent functions, largely unrecognized and unintended
consequences and,
• social dysfunctions, undesirable consequences of a social pattern
for the operation of society.
● The influence of this paradigm has declined in recent decades. It focuses

on stability, thereby ignoring inequalities of social class, race, and gender.

The Conflict Perspective
• Society is held together by who has power at a moment in time.

• Power allows some to dominate others.
• Dominance leads to conflict.
• Conflict and change are inevitable.
• Conflict holds society together as new alliances are formed and others fail.

Social Conflict
● The social-conflict paradigm is a framework for building theory that sees
society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change.
- Most sociologists who favor the conflict paradigm attempt not only to
understand society but also to reduce social inequality
- Key figures in this tradition include Karl Marx, W. E. B. Du Bois, and
Wright Mills
● This paradigm has developed rapidly in recent years. It has several

weaknesses.
- It ignores social unity based on mutual interdependence and shared
values.
- Because it is explicitly political, it cannot claim scientific objectivity.
- Like the structural - functional paradigm, it envisions society in terms of
broad abstractions.

The Symbolic Interaction Perspective
• Individuals construct the nature of their social world through social interaction.
• Social life is possible only because humans can communicate through
symbols.
• All human communications take place through the perception and
interpretation of symbols.
• How people define situations is important.
• There is a general consensus on how situations are defined.
• We do not respond directly to reality but to the symbolic meanings we attach
to the real world.

Symbolic Interaction
• The symbolic - interaction paradigm is a framework for building theory that sees
society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals.
• The structural-functional and the social-conflict paradigms share a macro level

orientation, meaning that they focus on broad social structures that shape society
as a whole. In contrast, symbolic - interactionism has a micro - level orientation; it
focuses on patterns of social interaction in specific settings.
• Key figures in the development of this paradigm include,
- George Herbert Mead

- Erving Goffman
- George Homans
- Peter Blau

Symbolic Interactionism
Symbolic interactionism attempts to explain more clearly how individuals

actually experience society. However, it has two weaknesses:
• Its micro - orientation sometimes results in the error of ignoring the

influence of larger social structures.
• By emphasizing what is unique, it risks overlooking the effects of
culture, class, gender and race.

COMPARISON OF THREE THEORETICAL
PERSPECTIVES

Sociology’s Four Realms
- Basic Science
• Expanding knowledge
- Critical Sociology
• Debate, argument and controversy
- Applied Research
• Application of knowledge to real - world problems
- Public Activism
• Working for social change

Practicing Sociology
• Applied sociology: use of the • Clinical sociology: dedicated to

discipline of sociology with the intent facilitating change by altering
of yielding practical applications for social relationships or
human behavior and organizations. restructuring social institutions.

Using the Sociological Imagination
• Globalization: worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social

movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas.
• Our lives are more connected with and interdependent upon diverse groups
of people.
• Social problems must be addressed before they overwhelm the world.

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
• Sociology is an Independent Science.
• Sociology is a Social Science and not a Physical Science.
• Sociology is a Categorical and not a Nominative Discipline.
• Sociology is a pure Science and not an Applied Science.
• Sociology is Relatively an Abstract Science not a Concrete Science.
• Sociology is Generalizing and not a Particularizing or Individualizing Science.
• Sociology is both Rational and Empirical.

SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY
• There are different views about the scope of sociology. There is no one
opinion about the scope of sociology.
• In the broadest sense, Sociology is studying human interaction, their

condition and consequences. It offers a distinctive and enlightening way of
seeing and understanding the social world.

WHAT IS SOCIETY?
• A large group of people who live together in an organized way, making

decision about how to do things and sharing the work that needs to be
done. All the people in country, or in several similar countries, can be
referred to as a society.
(Cambridge dictionary)
• The community of people living in a particular country or region and having

shared customs, laws and organizations is known as a society.
(Oxford dictionary)

• A society is a group of people who share a culture and live more or less
together. They have a set of institutions which provide what they need to
meet their physical, social, and psychological needs and which maintain
order and the values of the culture.
• Social structures are the more or less stable patterns of people’s

interactions and relationships.
• Institutions are the principal social structures that organize, direct and
execute the essential tasks of living. Societies represent the most
comprehensive and complex type of social structure in today’s world.
• Some institutions are: Family, medical, educational, economic, religious,

legal and political systems etc.

1. SOCIETY
• “A Society is a collection of individuals united by certain relations or mode of

behaviour which mark them off from others who do not enter into these relations
or who differ from them in behaviour”.
- Morris Ginsberg
• “Society is the complex of organised associations and institutions with a

community”.
- G.D.M. Cole
• Society is “a web of social relationship”.

- MacIver

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIETY
• Society consists of people
• Mutual Interaction and Mutual Awareness
• Society depends on Likeness
• Society rests on Difference
• Co-operation and Division of Labour
• Society implies Interdependence
• Society is dynamic
• Social control
• Culture
• Gregarious nature of Man - “Man is a Social Animal”

2. FAMILY
• Family is the basic social unit.
• Family represents people living together by ties of marriage, blood or

adoption, thus representing a single household.
• According to sociology, the family has the primary function of continuing

the society; biologically, socially or both.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FAMILY
• Universality
• Emotional basis
• Limited size
• Formative influence
• Nuclear position in the social structure
• Responsibility of the members
• Social regulation

TYPES OF FAMILIES
1. Nuclear Family
2. Extended Family
3. Single - Parent Family
4. Blended Family
5. Joint Family

1. Nuclear Family a family group consisting of a pair of adults and
their children
2. Extended Family a family group with three or more generations in

a family
3. Single-Parent Family mother or father raising children alone
4. Blended Family two divorced people marry, bring with them

children from the old families
5. Joint Family an extended family, typically consisting of three

or more generations and their spouses, living
together as a single household

3. COMMUNITY
• Community is “a social group with some degree of “we-feeling” and living in a

given area” . – Bogardus
• Community is “ the smallest territorial group that can embrace all aspects of
social life”. – Kinsley Davis
• “A community is a group or collection of groups that inhibits a locality”.

– Ogburn and Nimkoff
• Community is “any circle of people who live together and belong together in
such a way that they do not share any particular interest only, but a whole set
of interests”. – Manheim

MAIN ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY
The main bases of community are:
• Locality: A community is a territorial group. It occupies some

geographical area. Locality is the physical basis of community. Living
together facilitates people to develop social contacts, give protection,
safety and security. Further, the very physical conditions may influence
social life to a great extent.

• Community Sentiment:
It means a feeling of belonging together. The members must be aware of their

staying together and sharing common interest. The members develop a sense
of “we-feeling”. It means a kind of identification with the group. Without a sense
of identification, a sense of awareness, a sense of living and sharing some
common interest in life, there can not be any community.

OTHER ASPECTS OF COMMUNITY
• Stability
• Naturalness
• Size of community
• Regulation of Relations

RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES AND THEIR
CHARACTERISTICS

Society in transition
- PRIMITIVE SOCIETY
- CLASS DIFFERENTIATION & STRUGGLE
- SOCIETY AT A HIGHER LEVEL

• PRIMITIVE SOCIETY - COMMUNAL OWNERSHIP
• DEVELOPED SOCIETY - PRIVATE OWNERSHIP IS PREDOMINANT
STAGES IN DEVELOPMENT
• Little social differentiation, little inequality, (community resources owned in

common).
• Inequalities appear as wealth increases & ownership escapes community
control.
• Conscious attempts to diminish inequality and restore community control of
key resources.
• Unequal distribution of wealth is the cause of conflict.

• Spatial growth does not take place on its own. It happens by the growth of the
population in the city.
• Increase in urban population is mainly due to immigrants as there is an
assured income provided by the administrative industrial and other
opportunities for employment.

Trade and commerce serve two types of functions. These functions lead to the
growth of the city.
• To supply the requirements of the local population.

• To cater to the needs of the hinterland.

The urban world differs from the rural world by the following characteristics:
• Occupation
• Environment
• Size of community
• Density of population
• Heterogeneity
• Social differentiation and stratification
• Mobility
• Systems of interactions

SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF INDUSTRIALIZATION
• Industrialization split the society into two major groups - workers and
capitalists
• General Standards of living improved from social and economic points of
view
• Greater interest in education arts and science
• Political Awakening - Society democratized
• Growth of Capitalism - Class conflict /economic crises – unemployment
• Increased Production - Growth in trade
• Decline of rural industries

SIGNIFICANT CRITERIA TO DISTINGUISH THE
URBAN FROM THE RURAL SOCIETY
Rural society Urban society
Occupation Predominantly Principally engaged In

agriculture, with a few manufacture, trade,
representative non professions and other
agricultural pursuits nonagricultural occupations
Environment Direct relationship to Predominance of man made

nature environment isolation from
nature

Rural Urban
Size of community It’s small community The large community
Rural setting And size of Urban settings And size of
community are negatively co- community are positively co-
related related
Density of population Low density High density

Population composition Homogeneous Heterogeneous
Social differentiation And Low High

stratification
Mobility Occupational and territorial – Occupational and territorial –

low high

System of Rural Urban
Interaction
Few contacts per person Numerous contacts per
person
Narrow area of interaction Wide area of interaction
Primary contacts Secondary contacts
Personal And durable Casual and short lived

relations relations
Simplicity and sincerity of High complexity, Superficiality

interaction And formality of interactions
Interaction with the person as Interaction with the person as

a person a name or an address

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITY
• Absence of community feeling

• The increase in crime
• No spirit of tolerance
• Lack of social security
• Gross disparities
• Break down off cultural Barriers
• Impersonal social relations
• Dynamic life
• Stimulating atmosphere

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CITY
Decline in,
• Feeling of community
• Social control
• Family control
• Influence of religion
• Institution of manage
• Change in gender equations
• Shortage of housing
• Growth of slums

INFLUENCE OF URBANIZATION ON SOCIETY
• The change in social life – The relationship between caste and profession,
with people adopting new professions according to interest and profit.
• Changes in family organization – In the rural context, families are well

organized; the elders exercise significant controlled on the conduct lifestyle
and marital options of the younger members in the joint family set-up.
In the urban context the system of joint family is showing signs of
disintegration. Youngsters treat elders as conservative and cannot tolerate
control.

• Social stratification - four major differences between rural and urban social
pyramids - Number of classes less in rural society ; extremes of the pyramid
are not so far apart.; rural society comprises mainly middle classes.
• The city is the home of millionaires and paupers. Social mobility is more.
• Traditional occupations like blacksmith, pottery, weaving become defunct
• Influence of media : newspapers, TV and internet
• Changes in lifestyle - Food habits, dress, recreation.
• Occupational mobility is more.
• Rural society - Based on solidarity due to similarity, informal non-contractual
relationships. Urban society has low solidarity based on differences and dis
similarities that arise from division of labor and work specialization, greater
anonymity.

Cultural values in rural and urban areas
• Cities – activism/challenge , carrier oriented action, individualism/self,

exposure to media opens up the rest of the world.
• Rural areas - fatalism/acceptance, home-centered actions, particular group/

family, few contacts with the outside world.

4. ASSOCIATION
• An Association is “an organization deliberately formed for the collective

pursuit of some interests, or a set of interests, which its members share”.
– R.M.MacIver
• An Association is “a group of social beings related to one another by the

fact that they possess or have instituted in common an organization with a
view to securing a specific end or specific ends”.
– Morris Ginsberg

CHARACTERISTICS OF ASSOCIATION
• Association - a Human Group
• Common Interest or Interests
• Co-operative Spirit
• Organization
• Regulation of Relations
• Association as Agencies
• Durability of Association

5. INSTITUTION
• Institutions “may be described as recognized and established usages

governing the relations between individuals and groups”.
– Ginsberg
• Institutions represent “the social structure and the machinery through which
human society organizes, directs and executes the multifarious activities
required to satisfy human needs”.
– H.E. Barnes

CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTITUTIONS
• Social in nature
• Universality
• Institutions are Standardized Norms
• Institutions as Means of Satisfying Needs
• Institutions are the Controlling Mechanisms
• Relatively Permanent
• Abstract in Nature
• Oral and Written Traditions
• Synthesis Symbols
• Institutions are Interrelated

FUNCTIONS OF SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
• Institutions cater to the Satisfaction of Needs.
• Institutions control Human Behaviour.
• Institutions simplify Actions for the Individual.
• Institutions assign roles and Statuses to the Individual.
• Institutions Contribute to Unity and Uniformity.

5. SOCIAL SYSTEM
• According to David Popenoe, “A Social System is a set of persons or

groups who interact with one another; the set is conceived of as a social unit
distinct from the particular persons who compose it”.
• Duncan Mitchell in his ‘A Dictionary of Sociology’ writes: “A social system

basically consists of two or more individuals interacting directly or indirectly
in a bounded situation”.

Types of Social Systems
- Bio - social System & Socio - cultural System
a. Bio - social System – Represents animal society
b. Socio - cultural System – Represents human society

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL SYSTEM
• Social system consists of two or more individuals among whom we find an

established pattern of interaction.
• Individuals in their actions take account of how the others are likely to act or
behave.
• Individuals in the system behave in accordance with their shared cultural

norms and values.
• Individuals in the system act together in pursuit of common goals or rewards.
• “Social System” as a concepts may represent entire society or a number of

sub-systems such as political system, judicial system etc.
• A social system has its own boundary with the help of which it can be
distinguished from other social systems.

There are mainly two important schools of thought about scope of sociology
namely,
• formalistic school
• synthetic school

FORMALISTIC OR SPECIALISTIC SCHOOL
The sociologists who belong to the formalistic of Specialistic School believe

that sociology deals with various forms of human or social relations. They
regard sociology as a pure and independent branch of knowledge distinct
from all social sciences. This school is led by the German sociologist,
George Simmel, Vierkandt, Max Weber and others.

The main views of the school regarding the scope of Sociology are –
(i) Sociology is a specific, pure and independent social science.

(ii) Sociology studies the various forms of social relationships.
(iii) Scope of Sociology is very narrow and limited.
(iv) Sociology deals with specific form of human relationship.
(v) Sociology need not study all the events connected with social science.
(vi) Simmel believes that it is a specific social science and it should deal with
social relationships from different angles.

SYNTHETIC SCHOOL
The synthetic (not genuine/artificial) school of thought holds the view that
sociology is a synthesis (formation) of all social sciences. Sociology is the
science of science. It embraces all social sciences within its scope. In other
words, it synthesizes them all.
Emile Durkheim, an eminent French sociologist divides sociology into three

principal parts, namely social morphology, social physiology and general
sociology.

• Social morphology has direct reference to all those objects, which are
basically or fundamentally geographical or territorial in nature. These objects
are of many kinds such as the problems of population, its size, density and
local distribution and the like. Social morphology not only analyses the size
and quality of population but also examines how population affects the quality,
of social relationship and social groups. It also studies the main forms of
social groups, institutions and their classifications.
• Social physiology is very complex and it covers all subjects studied by

particular social sciences like religion, economy, language, morals, laws, etc.

According to Synthetic School –
• (i) Sociology is a general and systematic social science.

• (ii) Scope of Sociology is very vast.
• (iii) Sociology needs help from other social sciences.
• (iv) It is a synthesis of social science.
• (v) Sociology is closely related with other social sciences.

The Sociological Perspective
• The sociological perspective helps us to see general social patterns in the

behavior of particular individuals.
• It allows or forces us to look beyond the outer appearances of our social world
and discover new levels of reality.
• It also encourages us to realize that society guides our thoughts and deeds - to
see the strange in the familiar.
• Sociology also encourages us to see individuality in social context.

Benefits of the sociological perspective
• The sociological perspective helps us assess the truth of “common sense”. The
sociological perspective helps us assess both opportunities and constraints in our
lives.
• The sociological perspective empowers us to be active participants in our

society.
• The sociological perspective helps us to live in a diverse world. It also

encourages us to realize that society guides our thoughts and deeds - to see the
strange in the familiar.

Some Important Sociological Concepts

Social Interaction
• Social interaction: the ways in which people respond to one another.
• How we interact with people is shaped by our perception of their position

relative to our own.
• Meanings we ascribe to others’ actions reflect norms and values of the

dominant culture.
• Ability to define social reality reflects a group’s power within a society.

ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL SYSTEM
• The Social Act - is a process in the social system that motivates the individual/
individuals in the case of a group. The orientation of action has a close relation
with the attainment of satisfaction of the actor.
• The Actor - it is he who holds the status and performs the role. A social system
must have a sufficient proportion of actors. Those actors must be sufficiently
motivated to act according to the requirements of its role system.
• The Role & Status - the social system involves participation of actor in the
process of interactive relationship. The Role denotes the functional significance
of the actor for the social system. Status denotes the place of the actor in the
social system.

Sociological Concept of Status
• Status is not what people think of a person, status is a position within a group
or society.
• A status carries with it a set of culturally defined rights and duties, which
sociologists call a role.

Sociological Concept of Roles
• A status carries with it a set of culturally defined rights and duties, which
sociologists call a role.
• Role performance is the actual behavior of the person who occupies a
status.
• A single status may have multiple roles attached to it, constituting a role set.
• Role conflict results when individuals are confronted with conflicting
expectations stemming from their simultaneous occupancy of two or more
statuses.
• Role strain occurs when individuals find the expectations of a single role
incompatible, so that they have difficulty performing the role.
• Duties and rights are complementary.

Social Roles
• Social role: set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position
or status.
• Role conflict: occurs when incompatible expectations arise from two or more
social positions held by the same person; or when individuals move into
occupations not common among people with their ascribed status.
• Role strain: difficulty that arises when the same social position imposes
conflicting demands and expectations.
• Role exit: process of disengagement from a role central to one’s self-identity

in order to establish a new role and identity.

Groups
Group – two or more people who are bound in stable patterns of social
interaction, with a sense of unity
In time, four things can happen:
- Development of boundary with “in” and “out”.

- Group develops “objective” existence.
- Group obtains distinct subculture.
- Members develop sense of allegiance.

Types of Groups
• Primary - a small group, based on face to face contact with strong ties
between all members.
• Secondary - formal, relatively distant ties between members.

Comparison of Primary and Secondary
Groups

Bureaucracy
• Bureaucracy: a formal organization that uses rules and hierarchical ranking

to achieve efficiency.
• In an industrial society, elements of bureaucracy enter into almost every

occupation.

SOCIOLOGY OF SPACES

 All Social life exists in SPACE.
 Causal relations between SPACE & SOCIETY.
 Natural Space affects social life and collectivities.
 Collectivities turn natural space into social space and shape its uses.

PLANNING FOR SOCIETAL BETTERMENT
Space Business – Redesigning space – could change society
 Relation between Space and Society

 All social life is “emplaced” (All social life exists in space)
 They must resist the temptation of reifying space (a danger for any new
field that seeks to call attention to itself and the concepts it wants to
introduce)
 Natural space – a presocial notion (literally air over dirt)

• Becomes – a social phenomenon or social space
• Boundaries are put on it and meanings (including Ownership, price)
• The air – over - dirt = becomes = a LOT or a PLOT
• If residential users = obtain control over = the bounded space = it
becomes their PLACE.

• How does the society (individuals and collectivities) transform natural into
social space?
• How do they use and exchange? What kind of social, economic and other
process and force come into play in these uses and exchanges?
• How do both kinds of space affect individuals, collectivities and social

processes and forces?
1. Do both natural and social space have casual power, creating social
effects, and if so when, how and why?
2. Do individuals and collectivities exert casual power, creating effects on both

kinds of space, and if so, when, how and why?

 YES, the second is the most important for the sociology of space
 Space = always = has social effects (not automatic and are indirect)

The USE - Centered Approach to Space
Land Use = a central concept because = all social life is emplaced
The sociology of housing:

• How people live in their homes (adjust in available space)
• What neighbors fight over
• What people do with all the interior space
• Whether poor people are endangered by living in deteriorated houses
• Drastic housing shortages
• Zero vacancy rates
• Spend half their = incomes on rent
• How space indirectly shapes family budgets and thus life styles

• Governments have the power to regulate land uses.
• How and why planning and zoning agencies, building inspectors, landmark
preservationists.
• The drastic changes in cities, suburbs and metropolitan areas (over the
last 75 years).
• Tourism becoming a major industry in cities.
• Social construction of cities
• Tourist attractions

Land Values = plays a major role
Land prices and rents
Location = is a relational concept --- it refers to social spaces = that makes

connections between users or uses.
Values were highest = shopping (department stores), popular malls, city halls
(central business)
Density = actual and potential social space is available per capita

The Process Of Designing: Context, Concept, Diagram

“To be an architect is to possess an individual voice speaking a generally
understood language of form.”
- Robert A. M. Stern

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE
OF FORM?

HOW DOES AN ARCHITECT BEGIN TO CREATE A FORM?

WHAT CRITERIA SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN AN
ARCHITECTURAL FORM?

These are all questions that should be addressed in the design process of
any project. During the design process the architect should be developing the
context, concept, diagram through simultaneous analysis. All of these
elements feed off each other and ultimately create the form.

Does architecture insert itself into culture
or
Is culture inserted to architecture?
In “Pre - existing conditions and issues of contemporary building practice”

Ernesto Rogers thoroughly explains his “new program for architecture” from a
rationalist perspective. Rogers is advocating that designers, “…insert the
needs of life into culture and conversely, to insert culture into everyday life:
this is the task of the architect…”

When architecture is rooted in context, it is
culture.
• An architect designs a form based on their own perception of what culture is

asking for.
• Rogers states in his essay, “Forms must convincingly document the subtlest
ethical claims of collective and individual man, continuing the ancient
discourse.”
• Representing the collective and the individual creates a problem for the
architect. Culture cannot be defined by a single idea because it is composed
from very different parts. Within any culture there are many subcultures: from
politicians to anarchist, religious to atheist.
So the question becomes not whether architecture or culture is imposing on
each other but how to impose them in a “convincing” form.

• Architecture is the expression of a civilization.
• Human activities are strengthened by the architects creation of the built

environment.
• Every society has a special understanding of space and the use of space.
• Different manifestations of this understanding occur in all societies.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The Egyptians conveyed the idea of Immortality and Power by building

monumental structures like pyramids, mastabas, pylons, obelisks etc.

The Sheer size scale and proportion is used to convey power and to bring
about a feeling of respect.

The Greeks focus their ideas of social structure and their ideals of architecture
through beauty of proportions humanized scale rhythm and order with
splendid examples like the Parthenon, Agora & Temple.

Roman Architecture upholds the power of the Roman empire, with structures
like the Colosseum, Pantheon, Forum, aqueducts, bridges etc.

• These historical examples are an inspiration to Society.
• Even though the civilizations do not exist to day, these historical examples
give us an idea of those societies.
• Buildings serve to give us an understanding of the social milestones of the era.
• Thus architectures serves as a tool for creation of social scenarios.
• Agrarian society demands buildings like granaries, mills, godowns etc.
• Industrial society requires factories offices and commercial complex.

• As society evolved, there was a need for comfort and leisure activities.
• So other building types like theaters, art galleries, museums, gyms and other
recreational activities came into existence.
• So we see that architecture is a resultant of the needs of society.

Understanding individual lifestyles in the larger perspective results in creative
architectural design.
• An architect is expected to understand the clients expectations and ideals.

• Society is not constant – It undergoes constant social change.
• Therefore architecture has to develop and adapt to the changes from time to
time.

• The form of the building/building typology has an inference from the needs of
society.
• Churches developed from the Greek cross plan to the Latin cross based on the
requirement of Space for various activities, with a large nave for congregations.
• Mosques also have congregational spaces where as temples do not since

they are places for personal worship.

• Social phenomena also dictate built form – For example the division of joint
families into nuclear families has resulted in the shrinking of family homes
Into small single family units. Today The require large number of single family
homes. There is a now also a need for old age homes.
• ‘Good’ or ‘Sensible’ architecture cannot evolve without an understanding of

social structure.

Impact of Industrial Revolution
For instance after the industrial revolution a variety of building types evolved.
• For education – Schools and colleges

• For transportation – The railway stations And bus stations
• For health facilities – Hospitals and nursing homes
• For increase in population – Mass housing
• For administrative needs of society – public buildings like courts, jails,
Parliament houses
• For Recreation – Hotels, restaurants

• In the past, society was controlled by the monarch or the priest thus
importance was given to the churches religious buildings monuments castles
palaces.
• After the Industrial Revolution, Architecture was no longer for the patrons but
for the masses.
• The modern architecture that suits the conditions of society prevailed.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY IN
ARCHITECTURE
• What is the relationship between the individual and his or her designed
environment or social setting?
• What is the relationship between an organization and the building wherein it
resides?
Architectural sociology approaches these questions in examining how

architectural forms both influence and react to sociocultural phenomena. A large
proportion of our human experience and social interaction occurs in the
buildings in which we live and work. Therefore, architectural sociologists use
sociological perspective to enhance building design.

• Observing people in their natural setting can provide clues for the architect of
how social interaction occurs in various settings. This helps in the design of
classrooms, meeting rooms, office spaces and pedestrian spaces. In
particular assessment of user preferences and post occupancy evaluation are
possible by research methods.
• Thus sociology informs architecture in all phases of the design process

including pre - design and programming, design, construction and post-
construction.

HUMAN RESPONSE TO BUILT SPACES
• In depth analysis of human responses/how individuals react to different

kinds of buildings and spaces/built forms will assist the architect in gauging
the probable response to his design.
• Design conveys an idea - vital to the transmission of the idea is the

architects ability to understand human responses to different built
environments.

Architectural sociology addresses the purpose
of architecture as it relates to our society.
“I am constantly amazed when I look at the latest architectural design

magazines with all the wonderful pictures of the latest buildings. The people who
use these buildings, however, are seldom if ever shown! Our experiences reveal
that architects are interested only in designs as ‘art’ or in the construction
aspects of their projects, but have virtually no training and limited interest about
the human responses to their designs.”

• Another important aspect of architecture's social dimension is the ability to
respond in a perceptive way to traditional patterns of life with
interpretations of contemporary technology and need.
Architecture is basically constituted of,
• the aesthetic aspect

• the engineering aspect
• the social aspect
• The built environment which is made up of both built spaces and the
activities of people, as inter - related and inseparable elements.

ARCHITECTURE TODAY

CONCLUSION
Architectural Sociology helps in,
• Understanding the inter - relationship between people, organizations and

built environment.
• Problems of people in society.
• The impact of design decisions on built environment - study results inform
pre - design and post construction.
• Enhance architectural process.
• Support social interaction.
• ARCHITECTURE IS AN ENDURING EXPRESSION OF CIVILIZATION.

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Siddaganga Institute of Technology

An Autonomous Institute, Affiliated to VTU Belagavi, Approved by AICTE

• Relation of Sociology and its branches to Architecture and the Built

• Elements of Society – Bio - social, Family and Community

• Socio - cultural Association and Institution

• Communities – Rural and Urban Communities - Origin, growth and nature of

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• The word “Sociology” was coined by Auguste Comte - French Philosopher

• It is ‘science of society’ or ‘study of society’.

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• According to Ward “Sociology is science of society”.

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• The study of society.

• The science of social life.

• The study of social relationships.

• The study of human behaviour in groups.

• The study of forms of social relationships.

• The study of social actions.

• The study of social groups and social systems.

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• The rise of a factory-based industrial economy.

• The emergence of great cities in Europe.

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• Lived 1798 -1857

1. The theological stage, in which

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• Lived 1858 - 1917

• Traditional societies are united by social

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

Parts of a social system work together to maintain a balance.

• Functions are actions that have positive consequences.

• Dysfunctions are actions that have negative consequences.

• Manifest functions are intended.

• Latent functions are unintended.

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

- Each social structure has social functions, or consequences, for the

- Key figures in the development of this paradigm include Auguste Comte,

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• manifest functions, the recognized and intended consequences of

● The influence of this paradigm has declined in recent decades. It focuses

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• Society is held together by who has power at a moment in time.

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

● This paradigm has developed rapidly in recent years. It has several

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

• The structural-functional and the social-conflict paradigms share a macro level

• Key figures in the development of this paradigm include,

- George Herbert Mead

SOA SIT Sociology and Economics

Symbolic interactionism attempts to explain more clearly how individuals

• Its micro - orientation sometimes results in the error of ignoring the