Category: Sociology Dictionary

  • Functionalism (Functionalist Perspective): An Overview

    Functionalism traces its roots back to the work of Plato and Hegel. The elements of functionalist thought in sociology are found in the works of Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim. However, functionalism, as a dominant sociological theory, came to prominence in the 1950s, especially through the works of Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton, and their…

  • Phenomenology: Definitions and Basic Concepts

    The pedagogy of phenomenology is rather a complex topic to understand, especially when one is not acquainted with the subject. Before we delve into the concept of phenomenology, let us first understand the term etymologically. Phenomenology comes from two terms, phenomena meaning things as they appear and logy meaning science or study. Putting the meanings…

  • Introduction to Social Psychology: An Overview

    Human behaviour has always been so complex that we have always pondered over it. What makes human beings behave in a certain way? And what makes them not to? Social psychology is a huge field of social science which is of much significance in the contemporary world. No doubt it is a branch of psychology…

  • Division of Labour: Adam Smith and Emile Durkheim

    Meaning: Division of labour refers to the splitting up of work into a series of tasks which are each assigned to different people or groups (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2017). It is also termed as “a concept referring to the way a society or social group organizes itself internally” (Hausner, 2019.) This concept is mainly found in…

  • Evolution of Human Thought: Theory by Auguste Comte

    Human, the best creature in the world, is indeed the best of all the living beings because of their way of thinking. The superiority they have over all other creations, the way they rule nature, the comfortable living they have today have been possible only because of their thoughtfulness. Trying to understand the causes of…

  • Pierre Bourdieu’s Capital Explained

    A critical contribution to P. Bourdieu’s notion of “capital” Bourdieu’s development of the notion of “capital” has been proven a rich vein for the field of sociology and cultural theory. Capital has served as an important empirical and theoretical tool for the exploration of processes of embodiment and accumulation of knowledge and reproduction by agents…

  • 10 SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

    This article is going to explore ten sociological concepts ( explained with simple examples) that everyone should know about. 10 SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: It refers to the categorization of groups into a hierarchy base on their socio-economic conditions like wealth, income, caste, race, etc. In western Societies, social stratification exists in three layers: The upper class,…