This article gives information regarding the relationship between

Sociology and Political Science

Any of the social sciences is neither completely independent nor completely

dependent on other social sciences, but all the social sciences are interdependent
to each other. In order to achieve purpose and function, there is always
interconnection. Sociology has a broad perspective. It is directly concerned with
all aspects of social life, be it economic, political or psychological. Being the
‘mother science’, Sociology is intimately related to all the social sciences.

In the words of Morris Ginsberg, “Historically Sociology has its main roots in
politics and philosophy of history.” Being the members of society, it becomes very
important for us to comprehend the complex relations of Sociology, the study of
the society, with the other disciplines. Human behavior being very much complex
cannot be divided neatly into different compartments and each assigned to a
specific field of study. Hence, the boundaries between social sciences are often
overlapping. Sociology is no exception and therefore, its relations with Political
Science, the “Master Science” (according to Aristotle), is worth discussing.

According to G.E.C Catlin, “Political Science and Sociology are two faces or aspects
of the same figure.” In other words, we can say that both are different views of
ideologically the same situation. This is primarily because each and every social
problem has a political cause. Revolution and social upheavals occur in society
which affects political system, but to solve such social problems, political actions
are to be regulated.

Another way of comprehending the relationship between the two is through

knowing the commonness in the scope of both of these social sciences. There is a
wide range of topics which are included in the subject matter of both Sociology as
well as Political Science. Such topics include war, propaganda, authority,
communal riots and law. This is because of the reason that politics is a part and
parcel of society, and this relationship is best visible when studying the above
mentioned topics.

Contribution of Sociology to Political Science:

Political Science is the study of the state, the government and both the state &
the government. But initially, the state has developed out of the society. In fact,
the state itself is a social institution and is studied under Sociology. This is one of
the most visible contributions of Sociology to Political Science.

Besides this, Sociology provides material to Political Science. Politics in family,

associations and committees is studied only after fully understanding the
emergence of such social institutions. The study of social institutions, no doubt,
falls under the subject matter of Sociology.

Social conditions no doubt influence the political actions anyone would prefer to
take at a particular instant. For example, a politician will promise more jobs for
the youth only if the social conditions of that particular place at that very instant
of time are of unemployment. Thus, social conditions are responsible for all the
political actions.

Social customs, traditions and values influence the law of the state. For instance,
in 1772 India, when the British conquerors established a new system of justice,
Muslim Maulvis and Hindu Pandits used to interpret the laws in the courts
according to their respective customs in front of the Collector. Thus, the law of
the state was found to be influenced by the social customs.

Last but not the least, Sociology helps us to understand and comprehend political
ideologies. This is primarily due to the fact that Man is a social animal (Aristotle).
All our political ideologies are therefore due to our social ideologies. Thus, in
order to get a glimpse into the background of political ideologies, the knowledge
of Sociological concepts is quintessential.

In this respect, Prof. Giddings rightly opined, “to teach the theory of the state to
men who had not learned the first principles of Sociology is like teaching
astronomy or thermodynamics to men who have not learnt the Newtonian laws
of motion.”

Contribution of Political Science to Sociology:

Political Science provides knowledge about the state, which, being a social
institution, falls under the direct field of research of Sociology. In order to
accomplish his sociological research, a sociologist needs in depth background
information regarding the state, which is provided by Political Science.

Nonetheless, it is the state only which regulates social organizations. Not only
this, the state tries its best to end social evils which prevail in the society in one
form or the other. Laws are made by the state and also executed for the general
welfare and the overall upheaval of the society as a whole.

Thus, we can see that the interaction between Sociology and Political Science is a
two-way interaction; both contribute to each other in many ways as discussed
above.
Difference between Political Science and Sociology:

Besides the relationship between Political Science and Sociology as discussed

above, there are also some important differences between the two which cannot
be left untouched in this article. Sociology differs with Political Science in scope,
subject matter, origin, approach and method of treatment.

Sociology is a science of society and social relationships but Political Science is the
science of state and government. Sociology is called the ‘Mother Science’ while
Political Science is called ‘Master Science’ by Aristotle. Sociology is a relatively
new or younger science but Political Science is an older science.

The scope of Sociology is very wide but that of Political Science is limited. Study of
Political Science is more legislative whereas that of Sociology not. Sociology deals
with both conscious and unconscious actions, while Political Science deals with
conscious actions alone; the actions which are taken after enough debate and
often are result-oriented. Not only this, but Sociology studies organized,
unorganized as well as disorganized societies whereas Political Science studies
only politically organized societies.

Despite of the above mentioned notable differences, the relationship between

the two social sciences is quite intimate and is very important to understand for
students of both the disciplines.