Introduction to

Sociology
MUHAMMAD BASIT
(YouTube.com/BasitKhanSafi
Basit.khan.mardan@gmail.com)
 Sociology(Meaning)
• The word sociology is taken from
the French term Sociologie first
introduced by a French
philosopher Auguste Comte in
1838 when he suggested a science
to study society.
 Meaning of Sociology
• It is the combination of the Latin word
Socius meaning associate, companion,
comrade, ally, partner, accomplice or
colleague and
• the Greek suffix logos meaning
reason, principle, account, speech or
rationale.
• So, a literal sense, sociology means
the study of social relationships.
 Ilm-e-Umran or Imraniyat
• It was the multi-skilled Arab polymath
Muhammad Ibn Khaldun from Tunis (North
Africa) who can be called as the earliest
sociologist or at least proto-sociologist as he
proposed a new field of Ilm Al Imran in 1377,
which he saw as a study of society.
• Ilm is an Arabic word meaning knowledge (of
the world or religion) or science. Imran means
prosperity in Arabic and is taken from a Hebrew
word Amram meaning the exalted people, the
(exalted) nation, bundle or abundant.
• Amram or Imran was the name of the
legendary father of the Hebrew prophet
Moses.
• Therefore, literally, Ilm Al Imran means the
field to study the social life of people, nations
or tribes.
• This is the reason why in the Urdu language,
the word for sociology is Imraniyat. 
 Other terms for Sociology
• Sociology is mostly named as Ilm Al Ijtimae in
Arabic. It means the ‘knowledge or study of
collectivity or groups’.
• In Swahili language of East Africa, this term
becomes Ilmu Ya Jami.
• In West African Hausa language it is called Ilmin
Halayyar Zaman Jama’a.
• In Farsi, it is called Jamaa Shanasi. 
• In Spanish and Portuguese, the French Sociologie
becomes Sociologia.
• In Swedish and Danish it is translated as Sociologi.
 Other terms for sociology
• In Afghanistan, sociology is known as Tolanpohana in
Pashto which can be translated as the study of groups
or group behaviour (as tolana means social group and
pohana means study).
• In Sindhi and Punjabi, it is called Samajiyat or the
study of society. In India and Nepal, sociology is
known as Samajasastra.
• In Malayalam language of South-Western tip of India,
it is called Samuhyasastram with ‘samuh’ meaning
society or collectivity.
• In Bangla it is called Samajabijnana
• and in Sri Lankan Sinhalese Samaaja Vidyaava.
• In Chinese (Mandarin), sociology is called Shehui Xue
(study of society).
• In Thai, it is known as Sangkhmwithya,
• in Tajik, it is called Someasinosai (study of
community),
• Korean Sahoehag,
• Japanese Shakai-gaku (study of public),
• Greek koinoniologia (study of community life),
• in Vietnamese Xa Hoi Hoc,
• and in Southern African Xhosa language
Yokuhlalisana. 
 Other terms for Sociology
• In Turkish, it is called Sosyoloji,
• in Serbian Socioloija,
• Russian Sotsiologiya,
• German Soziologie,
• Hungarian or Magyar language Szociologia,
• Indonesian Sosiologi
• and in Filipino Sosyolohiya.
 Definition of Sociology
•  sociology can be defined as:
• The science of:
• Human social behaviour in society
• That systematically studies:
• Social relationships in social groups,
social institutions and culture, and
• Social structure and social functions
•  As well as explores the laws or
general patterns governing:
• Social life and social phenomena,
• Social change and social order,
• Social control and deviance, and
• Social solidarity and variability.
 Definition (continued)

•
• It also analyses:
• Societal system,
• Social inequality,
• Social interaction, and
• Global inter-connectivity and dependence
• And tries to:
• Understand and find solutions to social
problems.
 Other definitions
• It is the study of the way in which
human beings are shaped by things
(in the society) that they don’t see –
American sociologist Sam Richards
(2011).
• It is the study of the evolution,
structure and stratification in
society – Chinese sociologist Li Yi
(2011).
• The study of the social life,
socialization, social cohesion and
culture of nations and civilizations –
Tunisian sociologist Muhammad
Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406).
• The scientific study of society –
French philosopher Auguste Comte
(1838) and English sociologist
Harriet Martineau (1853).
 Other definitions
• The science (of social phenomena) • Sociology asks what happens to men and by
that can be used as a tool for the what rules they behave, not in so far as they
unfold their understandable individual
betterment of society and removing existences in their totalities, but in so far as
social ills – American sociologist they form groups and are determined by their
Lester Ward (1841-1913).  group existence because of interaction -
German sociologist Georg Simmel (1858-
• It is an attempt to take up the larger 1918).
program of social analysis and
• The study of (understanding the meaning
interpretation – American sociologist behind) social actions – German sociologist
Albion Small (1854-1926). Max Weber (1864-1920).
 Other definitions
• The study of social relationships… it seeks to • Study of man-in-relationship-to-men –
discover the principles of cohesion and of order American sociologist Marshall Jones (1949).
within the social structure, the ways in which it
roots and grows within an environment, the moving • The study of social system – American
equilibrium of changing structure and changing sociologist Talcott Parsons (1951).
environment, the main trends of the incessant
• A generalizing science of socio-cultural
change, the forces which determine its direction at
any line, the harmonies and conflicts, the
phenomena viewed in their generic form,
adjustments and maladjustments within the structure types and manifold interconnections - Russian
as they are revealed in the light of human desires, and sociologist Pitirim Sorokin (1889-1968).
thus the practical application of means to ends in • The investigation of demographic problems –
the creative activities of social man – Scottish
Chinese sociologist Chen Da (1892-1975).
sociologist Robert MacIver (1882-1970).