Sociology is the systematic study of society and social interaction. In order to carry out their studies, sociologists identify cultural patterns and social forces and determine how they affect individuals and groups. They also develop ways to apply their findings to the real world.
known for going beyond descriptive history to an analysis of historical processes of
change based on an understanding of “the nature of things which are born of
civilization” (Khaldun quoted in Becker and Barnes 1961). Key to his analysis was
the distinction between the sedentary life of cities and the nomadic life of pastoral
peoples like the Bedouin and Berbers. The nomads, who exist independent of
external authority, developed a social bond based on blood lineage and “esprit de
corps” (‘Asabijja),” which enabled them to mobilize quickly and act in a unified and
concerted manner in response to the rugged circumstances of desert life. The
sedentaries of the city entered into a different cycle in which esprit de corp is
subsumed to institutional power and political factions and the need to be focused on
subsistence is replaced by a trend toward increasing luxury, ease and refinements of
taste. The relationship between the two poles of existence, nomadism and sedentary
life, was at the basis of the development and decay of civilizations” (Becker and
Barnes 1961).
However, it was not until the 19th century that the basis of the modern discipline of
sociology can be said to have been truly established. The impetus for the ideas that
culminated in sociology can be found in the three major transformations that defined
modern society and the culture of modernity: the development of modern science
from the 16th century onward, the emergence of democratic forms of government
with the American and French Revolutions (1775–1783 and 1789– 1799
respectively), and the Industrial Revolution beginning in the 18th century. Not only
was the framework for sociological knowledge established in these events, but also
the initial motivation for creating a science of society. Early sociologists like Comte
and Marx sought to formulate a rational, evidence-based response to the experience
of massive social dislocation and unprecedented social problems brought about by
the transition from the European feudal era to capitalism. Whether the intention was
to restore order to the chaotic disintegration of society, as in Comte’s case, or to
provide the basis for a revolutionary transformation in Marx’s, a rational and
scientifically comprehensive knowledge of society and its processes was required.
It was in this context that “society” itself, in the modern sense of the word, became
visible as a phenomenon to early investigators of the social condition.
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