Essay on Relationship Between Sociology and Political Science – Political Science and Sociology are very closely related. This intimate relationship between the two social sciences may be examined here.
Political Science, Political Science deals with the political activities of man. It studies social groups organised under the sovereignty of the state. It studies man as a ruler and being ruled. Laski, Gettell and Gilchrist, the eminent political scientists, are of the opinion that the scope of political science embraces the study of both State and Government.
Political Science has its own topics such as the origin, evolution and functions of state, the forms of government, types of constitution, administration, law, legislation, international relations, methods of political representation, elections, voting, political movements, political ideologies, etc. “Political science is an historical investigation of what the state has been, an analytical study of what the state is, and a politico-ethical discussion of what the state should be “.
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Sociology Has its Roots in Politics:
Morris Ginsberg writes: “Historically, sociology has its main roots in politics and philosophy of history”. The main works on social subjects such as Plato’s Republic, the Politics of Aristotle, Arthashastra of Kautilya, The Laws and Republic of Cicero and other classical works were treated to be complete works on political science. Only recently distinction between the two has been clearly made.
The Relationship between the Two:
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Political Science and Sociology are so intimately connected as Garner said that the “political is embedded in the social that if political science remains distinct from sociology, it will be because of the breadth of the field calls for the specialist, not because there are any well-defined boundaries marking it off from sociology”.
Both the sciences are mutually helpful. In fact, political activity is only a part of social activity. Thus political science appears to be a branch of sociology. However, we cannot say that political science is just political sociology.
Political activity influences and is influenced by the social life of man. In fact, political activities will have no meaning outside the social context. Politics is after all the reflection of society.
This is made clear by the common saying, that ‘people have the government which they deserve’. Political science gives sociology facts about the organisation and functions of the state and government. Political science derives from sociology a knowledge of the origin of the political authority.
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Political science is concerned with the state. But sociology also studies state as one of the human associations. The state, in its early form, was more a social institution than a political one.
Moreover, a political scientist must also be a sociologist. The laws of the state have a great influence upon society. These laws are largely based on customs, traditions, conventions and usages. But these customs, traditions, etc., are the concern of sociology.
The institution of family, for example, is an element in social life. It is the concern of sociology. But the laws of marriage, made to regulate the family, fall within the field of political science.
Common Foci of Attention:
There are some common topics of interest for both sociologists and political scientists. Such topics as war, mass movements, revolutions, government control, public opinion, propaganda, leadership, elections, voting, political minorities, social legislations like civi.1 code and the like may be cited here as examples.
Further, many of the social problems are also deep political problems. Communal riots, {clashes between Muslims and Christians, Hindus and Muslims, Protestants and Christians etc.), racial tensions between Whites and Negroes, Asians and Europeans, etc., border disputes between different states, caste conflicts, etc., are problems that have political as well as social implications. It has become quite common to use political instruments to solve such social problems like beggary, unemployment, prostitution, poverty, crime, etc.
The interrelationship of political science and sociology has been stressed by some thinkers. Prof. Giddings says that “to teach the theory of the state to men who have not learnt the first principles of sociology is like teaching astronomy or thermodynamics to men who have not learnt the Newtonian Laws of Motion”.
F.G. Wilson remarks that “it must be admitted, of course, that it is often difficult to determine, whether a particular writer should be considered a sociologist, political theorist or philosopher”. According to Comte and Spencer, there is no difference whatsoever between the two. G.E.C. Catlin has remarked that political science and sociology are two facets or aspects of the same figure.