Book contents
- The New Handbook of Political Sociology
- The New Handbook of Political Sociology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- I Theories of Political Sociology
- 1 Power
- 2 Conflict Theories in Political Sociology
- 3 The Promise of Field Theory for the Study of Political Institutions
- 4 Culture in Politics and Politics in Culture
- 5 Political Sociology and the Postcolonial Perspective
- 6 Gender, State, and Citizenships
- 7 Theories of Race, Ethnicity, and the Racial State
- 8 Toward the Convergence of Culture and Political Economy?
- 9 Tasks for the Political Sociology of the Next Ten Years
- II Media Explosion, Knowledge as Power, and Demographic Reversals
- III The State and Its Political Organizations
- IV Civil Society: The Roots and Processes of Political Action
- V Established and New State Policies and Innovations
- VI Globalization and New and Bigger Sources of Power and Resistance
- Index
- References
9 - Tasks for the Political Sociology of the Next Ten Years
from I - Theories of Political Sociology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2020
Book contents
- The New Handbook of Political Sociology
- The New Handbook of Political Sociology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Tables
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- I Theories of Political Sociology
- 1 Power
- 2 Conflict Theories in Political Sociology
- 3 The Promise of Field Theory for the Study of Political Institutions
- 4 Culture in Politics and Politics in Culture
- 5 Political Sociology and the Postcolonial Perspective
- 6 Gender, State, and Citizenships
- 7 Theories of Race, Ethnicity, and the Racial State
- 8 Toward the Convergence of Culture and Political Economy?
- 9 Tasks for the Political Sociology of the Next Ten Years
- II Media Explosion, Knowledge as Power, and Demographic Reversals
- III The State and Its Political Organizations
- IV Civil Society: The Roots and Processes of Political Action
- V Established and New State Policies and Innovations
- VI Globalization and New and Bigger Sources of Power and Resistance
- Index
- References
Summary
We here make some suggestions as to how a specifically sociological approach to politics can build upon the course corrections recently made in political and historical sociology, as well as in the theory of action and of social structures. We argue that late-twentieth-century political sociology was led in several directions that were unprofitable. First, this political sociology was characterized by a disproportionate (and largely disappointing) focus on large-scale transitions, like revolutions, or other significant outcomes, at the expense of the examination of regularities in conventional political process. Second, the sociology that did treat everyday, lay, political behavior tended to embrace a notion of action that confused the reasons people gave for their choices with the predictors of their actions. Third, there was relatively little attention to the sociology of political elites as members of face-to-face groups with their own imperatives and organizational principles.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The New Handbook of Political Sociology , pp. 243 - 266Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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