A Hand Book of Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of human social behaviour and its origins development organizations and institutions. It is a social science which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social actions social structure and functions. A goal for many sociologists is to conduct research which may be applied directly to social policy and welfare while others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes. Subject matter ranges from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and the social structure. The social world is changing. Some argue it is growing; others say it is shrinking. The important point to grasp is: society does not remain unchanged over time. As will be discussed in more detail below sociology has its roots in significant societal changes. Early practitioners developed the discipline as an attempt to understand societal changes. Some early sociological theorists were disturbed by the social processes they believed to be driving the change such as the quest for solidarity the attainment of social goals and the rise and fall of classes to name a few examples. The founders of sociology were some of the earliest individuals to employ what C. Wright Mills labelled the sociological imagination: the ability to situate personal troubles within an informed framework of social issues. This book deals with all the development in the field of sociology in a historical context. This book is useful for sociologists researchers and social reformers. Contents: • Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology • Heo-Functionalism and Neo-Mawdsm • Structurisation and Post-Modernism • Conceptualising Indian Society