Political sociology

Political sociology is the study of the social organization of power. This course covers the major themes and debates in political sociology—a diverse field in terms of both the range of topics addressed and the theoretical perspectives used. Our main purpose will be to provide an overview of the major perspectives and arguments comprised in the field, including both classical and contemporary readings. The issues studied in this field include the relations between state and society, power, social movements, political organizations, civic participation, political culture, voting behaviour, party politics and citizenship.

As a discipline, political sociology is at the intersection of sociology and political science: It addresses issues related to politics, similarly to political science. However, it differs from political science in a variety of ways. Political sociologists tend to emphasize the relationships between political institutions, other social institutions and society in general. However, rather than focusing on political institutions in their own right; political sociology tends to have a broader and historical scope. There is a lot of interdisciplinary reading involved in this area. The focus of the discipline has been on the political processes that take place within human societies.

Political sociology deals with the relationship between state and society based on mutual interaction and with power as the ultimate aim of all political processes. Political sociology deals with the study of the social foundations of political competition (including social cleavages and identities), social and political attitudes (including political culture), processes of political engagement and competition (including elections and protest politics), the social basis for the formation, change, and maintenance of political institutions (including democracy and welfare states).

Therefore, the course explores the social dimensions of power and political institutions. Political sociology examines how power is constructed, legitimized, and distributed within a given social context. On the ‘macro’ level, it focuses on states, influential economic and political organizations, social movements, and large-scale processes such as globalization. On the ‘micro’ level, the discipline explores how social positions and identities influence individuals’ political status and their participation in political life, often expressed through elections and voting preferences. Finally, on the ‘meso’ level, political sociologists research group-related phenomena that have a bearing on political life, such as nationalism, elites, social classes, and political organizations.

The course is divided into two main parts. The first part provides a brief overview of the main concepts and theories dealing with power, state and society and thus with the key issues in political sociology at systemic level. In the second part of the course we will enter the domain of micro-political sociology and analyse the internal dynamics of the political community (citizens’ socialization, attitudes and political behaviour at individual level) as well as the behaviour and functions of the main political actors (parties, political organizations, social movements and elites).

The course builds on some of the concepts, theories and knowledge introduced in the introduction to political science course—notably the study of representation, electorates, parties, civil society, who rules in a democracy, and public policy. The course is mainly empirical, but includes some positive (as opposed to normative) theory, i.e. theories that aim at explaining why people behave as they do. The aim of each topic covered by the course is to assess the evidence for competing explanations of particular features/aspects of social and political life. The course largely deals with contemporary societies and recent developments, but appreciation of historical develo