Political sociology
Political sociology studies how social forces, institutions, and inequalities shape political power, political behavior, and collective action.
Power (social and political): The capacity to shape behavior, decisions, or outcomes, including through authority, resources, and coercion. Political sociology examines how power is distributed and exercised across social relationships.
Political participation: Activities through which people attempt to influence government or public decisions. Participation is shaped by social resources, networks, identities, and institutional access.
Comparative politics: The systematic comparison of political systems, institutions, and processes across cases. Its comparisons test how social structures relate to different political outcomes.
Political science: The systematic study of political institutions, behavior, ideas, and processes. Political sociology foregrounds social relations and inequalities within questions also studied by political science.
Max Weber: A German sociologist whose work analyzed authority, bureaucracy, religion, and social stratification. His account of legitimate domination and bureaucracy remains foundational to the study of political power.
Social stratification: The structured ranking of people and groups by access to resources, status, and opportunities. Unequal social positions influence political voice, representation, and policy outcomes.
Political socialization: The process through which people acquire political orientations, values, and habits. Family, education, media, and peer groups transmit political norms across social settings.
Historical sociology: The study of how social structures and processes develop through historical change. It traces how state formation, class relations, and conflict shape political institutions over time.
Sociology: The study of social relationships, institutions, structures, and change. Political sociology is a specialized branch of sociology focused on political power and collective life.
Karl Marx: A German philosopher and social theorist whose work centered on capitalism, class conflict, and historical change. His analysis of class and the state shaped major traditions in political sociology.