NCERT Book Class 11 Sociology (Introducing Sociology) Chapter 2 Terms, Concepts and Their Use in Sociology

24 INTRODUCING SOCIOLOGY

CHAPTER 2

TERMS, CONCEPTS AND THEIR USE IN SOCIOLOGY

terms and concepts to understand this.
I
Why does sociology need to have a
special set of terms when we use terms
INTRODUCTION like status and roles or social control
The previous chapter introduced us to anyway in our everyday life?
an idea both about society as well as For a discipline such as, say,
sociology. We saw that a central task of nuclear physics that deals with matters
sociology is to explore the interplay of unknown to most people and for which
society and the individual. We also saw no word exists in common speech, it
that individuals do not float freely in seems obvious that a discipline must
society but are part of collective bodies develop a terminology. However,
like the family, tribe, caste, class, clan, terminology is possibly even more
nation. In this chapter, we move further important for sociology, just because
its subject matter is familiar and just
to understand the kinds of groups
because words do exist to denote it. We
individuals form, the kinds of unequal
are so well acquainted with the social
orders, stratification systems within
institutions that surround us that we
which, individuals and groups are
cannot see them clearly and precisely
placed, the way social control operates,
(Berger 1976:25).
the roles that individuals have and play, For example we may feel that since
and the status they occupy. we live in families we know all about
In other words we start exploring families. This would be conflating or
how society itself functions. Is it equating sociological knowledge
harmonious or conflict ridden? Are with common sense knowledge or
status and roles fixed? How is social naturalistic explanation, which we have
control exercised? What kinds of discussed in Chapter 1.
inequalities exist? The question however We also found in the previous
remains as to why do we need specific chapter how sociology as a discipline