What is Political Sociology?

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Ever wondered why most people pick one political party or another, or what factors lead to a so-called corrupted government? These are the questions that political sociology tries to answer. Political sociologists look at how sociology effects the political make up of a group. Political Sociology explores how groups interact with each other, particularly in how power is divided between them. Consider some of the discoveries and advancements this field has made and its effects thus far.

What Are Some Political Sociology Theories?

Emile Durkheim came up with two theories on how groups form. He claimed that groups form either when everyone in a small population has common beliefs and/or common interests, which he called “Mechanical Solidarity” or that they form organically in large populations, where each person relies on each other to provide services for one another. Many sociologists work under the pluralist theory, which says that rather than the elite versus the masses political power is divided up amongst special interest groups who all compete and make deals to gain more power.

Pluralism runs counter to Elitist theory, which says that power is owned by social elites who all work together to keep their power. Political sociology is a field with a lot of divisions.

Who Are Some Famous Political Sociologists?

Karl Marx advocated that economics is what leads to changes in society. Max Weber claimed that religion, not economics, was the driving force for social changes. Emile Durkheim separated the field of sociology from psychology. Marx, Weber, and Durkheim are known as the three founding architects of sociology.

Daniel Bell was an important advocate of post industrialism, where services rather than manufacturing made up the majority of labor. Pierre Bourdieu is the founder of cultural deprivation theory, which claims ideas of economic classes are really self-fulfilling prophecy. Anthony Giddens is an important sociologist who showed history from a sociological point of view and advocated third way politics.

These sociologists have greatly helped us better understand how power is spread amongst groups.

How can Political Sociology be Applied?

The theories that political sociologists develop have some truly important ramifications, if we understand how power is spread in other countries and why it can make negotiating peace agreements with them much easier. The idea of post industrialism might be playing a big role in the recent economic downturns in many 1st world countries. Whole political and economic movements have even been founded on the writings of political sociologists like Marxist communism and Ayn Rand in libertarianism. We can think of philosophers like Voltaire and political leaders like Thomas Jefferson as historical political sociologists and it’s their ideas that lead to whole revolutions in the way people view how power should divided. Sociology could be the answer to world peace or the end of extreme poverty, but only time will tell. It’s impossible to say what sociologists will discover in the coming years, but it will surely advance our understanding of how we pick leaders.

This is a rewarding and ambitious career and the sky is truly the limit, if you take the initiative to educate yourself with a college degree.