Sociology and History
Table of Contents
Sociology
Sociology is a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them. It does this by examining the dynamics of constituent parts of societies such as institutions, communities, populations, and gender, racial, or age groups.
Sociology also studies social status or stratification, social movements, and social change, as well as societal disorder in the form of crime, deviance, and revolution.
History
History is a narration of the events which have happened among mankind, including an account of the rise and fall of nations, as well as of other great changes which have affected the political and social condition of the human race.
According to Radcliff Brown “sociology is nomothetic, while history is idiographic”.
In other words, sociologists produce generalizations while historians describe unique events.
An example for this claim are R.H. Tawny’s work “Religion and the Rise of Capitalism”, Weber’s thesis “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”.
“The Polish Peasant” by Thomas and Znaniecki consist of mere description of a peasant family, and therefore, is idiographic as any historical study can be.
Goldthorpe argues that history and sociology are two significantly different intellectual enterprises. He concludes that it is wrong to conclude to consider sociology and history as one. History in no sense is a natural science like sociology. It does not seek colourless units. It is said that history interprets whereas natural science explains.
Differences between Sociology and History
|
Sociology
|
History
|
|---|---|
|
Sociology is a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them. |
History is a narration of the events which have happened among mankind, including an account of the rise and fall of nations, as well as of other great changes which have affected the political and social condition of the human race. |
|
Sociology is interested in studying the present social phenomenon. |
History is interested in studying the past phenomenon. |
|
Sociology is an analytical science.
|
History is a descriptive science.
|
|
Sociology is abstract in nature
|
History is concrete in nature.
|
|
Sociology is generalising science.
|
History is individualising science.
|
|
Sociologists believe their understanding transcends space-time dimension. |
Historians emphasise their findings as time–space localised. |
Interrelations between Sociology and History
- Sociologists often refer to history to explain social changes, developments and changing face of society over period of time. Similarly, history also needs social aspects (sociological concepts) to explain past.
- Social change is a reality. It has to happen. History shows mirror or truer way to analyse it with respect to time and space. History, in fact, said to be the constant reminder of the fact that change, even though permanent, is irregular and unpredictable.
- History thus provides a frame of reference and contextual tool to examine and analyse change carefully.
- Both sociology and history thus depend on each other to take complete stoke of reality.
- Sociology is also concerned with the study of historical developments of society. Sociologist studies ancients or old traditions, culture, growth of civilisations, groups and institutions through historical analysis and interpretations.
- The development of sociological theories is traced in 19th and 20th century historical developments at the level of philosophy, epistemology and progressive thinking.
- Specifically, sociological theories have been product of intellectual, social, cultural and political climate within which they were developed. For instance, enlightenment was a period of remarkable intellectual development
Historical sociology
- Historical sociology is a branch or sub-discipline of sociology. It emerged, during the twentieth century, primarily as a result of intersection between sociology and history.
- Historical sociology as a sub-field of sociology is likely to make two major contributions to the discipline.
- Firstly, it can fruitfully historicise sociological analysis helping to situate any sociological analysis historically.
- Secondly, it will help to draw on important social issues which critically required historical analysis but somehow avoided or remain neglected in sociological analysis.
- Sociologists often talk of the, ‘context’, while studying or explaining society in terms of its structure, functions and changes.
- Here, time and space are two important factors which inherit and explain the contextual aspects of social reality. Time is crucial factors in explaining the evolution of social reality as social realities get shaped over period of time.
- Since, history take care of factors such as time or periodical evolution of societies, it essentially helps sociologist to study society in much more systematic fashion.
- It helps sociologists in providing rationale to articulate present status and developmental trajectory of a society.
- Various sociologists such as Comte in his law of three stages, Spencer in his analysis of evolution of societies, Weber in his elaboration of ideal types and growth of city, and Marx in his analysis of class conflict and social changes, have used historical dimension in their sociological analysis.
- Hence, history and sociology are closely related to each other. However, we may also note that both the disciplines differ in their nature and approaches, nevertheless intersect or criss-cross each other on many points.
- Resultantly, historical sociology emerged as an off- shoot such intersection between the two disciplines.
Historical sociology as an outcome of intersection of the both the disciplines have emerged. It is also described that the historical sociology as branch of sociology has critically contributed to the growth of an interdisciplinary scholarship. Many sociologists, from the beginning of sociology as major discipline, such as Marx, Weber, Durkheim, later on Castells, Amin, Frank, Blaut as discussed, have elaborately contributed in this field. In nutshell, both sociology and history, though being two different disciplines in the domain
of social sciences, are very much closely interrelated and supplements each other’s field of studies.
Previous Year Questions
- Discuss the relevance of historical method in the study of society (2015)
Important Keywords
History, Sociology, Institutions, Communities, Populations, Gender, Racial, Age groups, Radcliff Brown, Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Thomas, Znaniecki, Goldthorpe, Analytical and Descriptive science, Concrete, Abstract, time–space and Historical sociology.
