NCERT Book Class 11 Sociology (Introducing Sociology) Chapter 5 Doing Sociology: Research Methods

82 INTRODUCING SOCIOLOGY

CHAPTER 5

DOING SOCIOLOGY : RESEARCH METHODS

As you have seen in the previous
I
chapters, sociology is deeply interested
INTROUDUCTION in the lived experience of people. For
example, when studying social
Have you ever wondered why a subject
phenomena like friendship or religion
like sociology is called a social science?
or bargaining in markets, the
More than any other discipline,
sociology deals with things that are sociologist wants to know not only
already familiar to most people. All of what is observable by the bystander,
us live in society, and we already know but also the opinions and feelings of
a lot about the subject matter of the people involved. Sociologists try to
sociology — social groups, institutions, adopt the point of view of people they
norms, relationships and so on — study, to see the world through their
through our own experience. It seems eyes. What does friendship mean to
fair, then, to ask what makes the people in different cultures? What
sociologist different from other does a religious person think he/she
members of society. Why should s/he is doing when performing a particular
be called a social scientist? ritual? How do shopkeeper and
As with all scientific disciplines, the customer interpret each other’s words
crucial element here is method, or the and gestures while bargaining for a
procedures through which knowledge
better price? The answers to such
is gathered. For in the final analysis,
questions are clearly part of the lived
sociologists can claim to be different
experience of actors involved, and they
from lay persons not because of how
much they know or what they know, are of great interest to sociology. This
but because of how they acquire their need to understand both the outsider’s
knowledge. This is one reason for the and the insider’s points of view is
special importance of method in another reason why method is
sociology. particularly important in sociology.