This slide will help the students, who wants to start study sociology.

1. Sociology and Architecture
Dr. Anil Kumar
Assistant Professor
Department of Sociology
STJM PG College, Bilhaur, Kanpur
E-mail: anil.aina@gmail.com, Mob. 9451087122

2. Introduction
 Sociology is the combination of two terms ‘Socius’ (Latin word for
Society) and ‘Logos’ (Greek word for studying)
 In literary meaning ‘Sociology’ is the study of society.
 Factors Responsible for Origin of Sociology
1. Commercial Revolution (1450-1800)
2. Scientific Revolution (1543-1687)
3. Biological Theory of Evolution- (Origin of Species 1859)
4. Industrial Revolution (1760-1830)
5. French Revolution or Revolution of 1789 (1788-1799)
 Founding Fathers of Sociology
I. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) France
II. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) British
III. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) France
IV. Max Weber (1864-1920) Germany
V. Karl Marx (1818-1883) Germany

3. Founding Fathers: Auguste Comte
 Isidore Marie Auguste Francois Xavier Comte (19th Jan 1798-5th Sep
1857), ‘Father of Sociology’ coined the term Social Physics/
Sociology in 1838.
 Auguste Comte defined Sociology as the abstract and theoretical
science of social phenomena.
 Positive Philosophy (1830-1842) 6 Volumes.
• Hierarchy of Sciences- Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology
and Sociology.
• Law of Three Stages – Theological (Fetishism- Devivastuwad, Monotheism-
Ekeshwarvad), Polytheism-Bahudevwad, Metaphysical and Positive),
• Positivism.
 Positive Polity (1851-1854) 4 Volumes.
Herbert Spencer (27th April 1820- 8th December 1903)

4. Founding Fathers: Herbert Spencer
 Herbert Spencer (27th April 1820- 8th December 1903)
 Key Concepts
• Organic Analogy
• Evolutionary Theory –
1. Simple Society to Compound Society,
2. Military to Industrial Society
• Social Darwinism
 Major Books
• Principles of Biology, Vol. 1- 1864, Vol. 2- 1867.
• The Study of Sociology, 1873.
• Principles of Sociology, Vol. 1- 1876, Vol. 2- 1882, Vol. 3- 1896.

5. Founding Fathers: Emile Durkheim
 Emile Durkheim (15th April 1858-1917) established Sociology
• Sociology is the study of social facts, which are collective ‘ways of acting,
thinking and feeling that present the noteworthy property of existing
outside the individual consciousness Durkheim (1964).
• Key Concepts
• Social Facts
• Division of Labour- Solidarity (Mechanical and Organic) Law (Oppressive
and Restituitive)
• Suicide Egoistic, Altruistic, Anomic/normlessness, Fatalistic/over exercise
of rules.
• Totem- Arunta Tribe
• Books
• The Division of Labour in Society 1893,
• Rules of Sociological Method 1895,
• The Suicide 1897.
• The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, 1912.

6. Founding Fathers: Max Weber
• Max Weber (21st April 1864- 14th June 1920)
• Key Concepts
– Power and Authority, Types- Rational Legal, traditional and Charismatic
– Religion
– Social Action- Traditional, Affectionate, Value Rational (Wertrational),
Instrumental Rational Action (Zweckrational)
– Verstehen (Interpretative Understanding)
– Ideal Type
– Bureaucracy
• Books
– The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, 1905/1930
– The Economy and Society, 1922
– The Theory of Social and Economic Organisation, 1925
– The City, 1921

7. Founding Fathers: Karl Marx
• Karl Heinrich Marx (5th May 1818-14th March 1883)
• Key Concepts
– Historical Materialism
– Dialectical Materialism
– Class Struggle
– Alienation
– Surplus Value
• Books
– Das Capital, Vol.1-1867, Vol.2-1885, Vol.3-1894.
– The Communist Manifesto, 1848
– German Ideology,
– The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts, 1844
– The Poverty of Philosophy, 1846

8. Meaning of Sociology
• Sociology is the systematic study of society, its institutions,
structure and process.
• There are three major characteristics of sociology-
1. Sociology is a social science that deals with social systems and
process.
2. Sociology is a general social science that deals with society as a
whole.
3. Sociology is a pure science, not applied science.
• Sociology is the science of society that investigates social
relationships, institutions and behaviours and attempts to
formulate some general principles. (M. Francis Abraham)
•

9. Definitions of Sociology
• Sociology is the science of society or social phenomena. (L. F.
Ward)
• Where there is life, their is society. (Auguste Comte)
• Comparative Sociology is not a particular branch of Sociology, it is
Sociology itself. (Durkheim).
• Sociology is a ‘value free science’ (Durkheim).
• Sociology is the study of social facts, which are collective ‘ways of
acting, thinking and feeling that present the noteworthy property
of existing outside the individual consciousness Durkheim (1964).
• Sociology is a science which attempts the interpretative
understanding of Social Action in order thereby to arrive at a
causal explanation of its course and effects. (Max Weber)

10. Subject Matter of Sociology
Three Paths to Define Sociology
1. Historical (What Founding Fathers Say?)
2. The Empirical (What are contemporary
sociologists doing?)
3. The Analytical (What does reason suggest?
Reference:
Alex Inkless 1964. What is Sociology?
An Introduction to the Discipline and Profession

11. Sociology and Architecture
• Roughly put, taking place in all areas of human life from religion and law to
music and architecture, rationalization means a historical drive towards a world
in which “one can, in principle, master all things by calculation” [Weber
1919/1946:139].
• Sociology of architecture is the sociological study of the built environment and
the role and occupation of architects in modern societies.
• Architecture- constituted of three basic disciplines-
• the aesthetic,
• the engineering and
• the social aspects
• Architecture is presenting the material culture of the society, i.e. the visual
shape of society, in which various types of buildings/structures (architecture- of
consumption, of mobility, of the political and religious, as well as factories,
prisons, cinema buildings, etc.) could become objects of architectural sociology.
For example: how a specific architecture 'expresses' the structure and principles
of a given society.