Political Sociology

Political sociology is the study of the relations between state and society. The discipline draws on comparative history to analyze socio-political trends. The field developed from the work of Max Weber, Barrington Moore and Moisey Ostrogorsky.

There are four main areas of research focus in contemporary political sociology:

1. The socio-political formation of the modern state.

2. "Who rules"? How social inequality between groups (class, race, gender, etc.) influences politics.

3. How public personalities, social movements and trends outside of the formal institutions of political power affect politics.

4. Power relationships within and between social groups (e.g. families, workplaces, bureaucracy, media, etc). Contemporary theorists include Robert A. Dahl, Seymour Martin Lipset, Theda Skocpol, Luc Boltanski and Nicos Poulantzas.

Political sociology looks at how major social trends can affect the political process, as well as exploring how various social forces work together to change political policies. Political sociologists apply several theories to substantive issues. Three major theoretical frameworks are pluralism, elite or managerial theory and class analysis which overlaps with Marxist analysis. Pluralism sees politics primarily as a contest among competing interest groups. Elite or managerial theory is sometimes called a state-centered approach. It explains what the state does by looking at constraints from organizational structure, semiautonomous state managers, and interests that arise from the state as a unique, power concentrating organization. A leading representative is Theda Skocpol.

Social class theory analysis emphasizes the political power of capitalist elites. The theory emerged from Marxism in the 1850s based primarily on the premise of economic exploitation of one class by another. It split into two parts: one is the power structure or instrumentalist approach, another is the structuralist approach. The power structure approach focuses on Who Rules? and its most well- known representative is G. William Domhoff. The structuralist approach emphasizes how the very way a capitalist economy operates only allows and encourages the state to do some things but not others. Its best known representative was Nicos Poulantzas. Important innovations in the field come from the French Pragmatism and particularly from the Political and Moral Sociology elaborated by Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot.

Vocabulary comparative history – сравнительная история inequality – неравенство

to affect smth – влиять на что-то to explore – исследовать substantive – самостоятельный to overlap – частично совпадать approach – подход

constraint – принуждение

to emerge – возникать

to elaborate – разрабатывать

 

 

Задание 2. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. What does political sociology study?

2. From the work of what scientists did the field of political sociology develop?

3. What are the main areas of research focus in contemporary political sociology?

4. What are the major theoretical frameworks?

5. What does social class theory analysis emphasize?