Political Sociology

Political sociology deals with patterns of social stratification and their consequences in organized politics. It is one particular approach to the study of social organization and societal change. By contrast in narrower terms political sociology focuses on the organizational analysis of political groups and political leadership. In this perspective the core of political sociology involves the study of both formal and informal party organization with its linkages to the governmental bureaucracy the legal system interest groups and the electorate at large. This approach is an expression of an institutional or organizational point of view. As societies strive to become modernized and as the role of formally organized political parties becomes more and more dominant it appears difficult to make a sharp distinction between the social stratification and the institutional approaches to political sociology. Nevertheless these perspectives assume persistently different conceptions about the political process and are reflections of the basic writings of Karl Marx and Max Weber respectively both of whom have deeply influenced the emergence of a sociology of politics. In the nineteenth century the development of representative institutions meant the extension of suffrage and an increase in the importance of parliament as a device for sharing political power and resolving political conflict. This book is essential reading for practicing researcher students and scholars of subject and also the informed/interested general reader. Contents: • Theoretical Perspectives • Contemporary Issues: Socio-Cultural • The Nature of Caste-inequalities in India • Contemporary Issues: Development • Issues Pertaining to Deviance • Current Debates