Category: Introduction to sociology
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The Sociology of Gender: Overview
The sociology of gender is a subfield of sociology that concerns itself with masculinity and femininity, i.e., the social construction of gender, how gender interacts with other social forces and relates to the overall social structure. The field of study under gender sociology has diversified over the years and incorporated the feminist viewpoint. The starting…
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Value Added Theory: Explained with Examples
The value-added theory recommends that for any social movement to emerge, certain determinants are necessary. This theory was developed by Neil Smelser and he proposed six determinants responsible for the development of a social movement. These six conditions, he believed, helped to give rise to collective behaviour. The first stage is that of structural conduciveness…
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What is SocioBiology ? Applications, Criticism and Examples
The discipline that studies the biological aspects of social behaviour among animals and humans scientifically and the way they evolve is known as sociobiology. It assumes social behaviour to have been resulting from evolution. So, it aims to study and explain the social behaviours within that context. The term emerged in the 1940s. However, only…
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Karl Marx’s Commodity fetishism – Explained with Example
Karl Marx is one of the most influential social thinkers of the 19th century and he is known as the architect of socialism and the champion of communism. Commodity Fetishism in Marx’s application of his analysis of the relationship between a commodity and society as a whole. Fetish was popularly used in the good old…
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Micro sociology and Macro sociology – Explanation
Sociology can be understood as the study of the social structures, their functioning, and development in society. Micro sociology and macro sociology are its two levels of analysis in studying society. The branch of sociology which is concerned with the study of small scale processes going on in the society like social interaction between humans…
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Manifest and Latent Functions – Differences and Examples
The function can be explained as the result or consequence of people’s action. These consequences can be either latent function or manifest function in any social institution. The distinction is explained by Robert K. Merton in his book, Social Theory and Social Structure, in 1949. Latent functions are those functions which are unintended or unrecognized…
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Weber’s concept of bureaucracy and Characteristics
Bureaucracy can be explained as the way in which a large number of people who work together are organized or administered. It is the body of non-elective government officials or a group that makes administrative policies. The term is derived from the French word; bureau, meaning desk or office, and the Greek word, Kratos, which…