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Book No. – 17 (Sociology)
Book Name – Sociology (Yogesh Atal)
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1. THE TERM SOCIOSPHERE
2. SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
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LANGUAGE
Defining Society
Yogesh Atal
Chapter – 3
Table of Contents
- Sociology is commonly understood as the study of society, but more sophisticated responses might generalize it as the study of the social or the social sphere, also called the Sociosphere.
- However, there is often confusion about what society, the social, or the sociosphere truly mean.
- Some definitions describe sociology as the study of groups, where society is also considered a group within this broad definition.
- The various connotations of these terms highlight the need for a systematic definition of three key concepts in sociology: social, society, and group.
- The chapter will focus on developing the concept of society as a special type of group.
- The next chapter will discuss the more general concept of group, and readers can choose to follow this sequence or reverse it, starting with the group concept.
THE TERM SOCIOSPHERE
- The term sociosphere is broader and all-encompassing, referring to the entire range of social interactions.
- It includes interactions such as casual meetings between individuals, more formal encounters between individuals and groups, between groups within a society, and between societies.
- Social formations beyond societal or national boundaries are considered epigenetic—built over the normal body—but are still included in the sociosphere.
- Sociology covers the full spectrum of social formations and social interactions, both within a society and between societies.
- Sociology can be called the study of the sociosphere in this broader sense.
- Sociosphere is not the same as society; it is much larger, encompassing the entire range of social interactions and groups, both within and across societies.