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What is political sociology?

Political sociology is an interdisciplinary subject where political science and sociology intersect. Whereas the study of political science has traditionally been limited to the role and the functioning of the State and whereas the study of sociology has traditionally focused upon the social relations of a society, political sociology explores the relationship between state and society. Political sociology can thus be understood as the scholarly research of the sociological understanding of political phenomena. Some of the issues the political sociologist addresses are:

- the socio-political formation of the modern state;

- "who rules"? How social inequality between different groups (like class, gender etc) influences politics;

- How public personalities, social movements and trends outside of the formal institutions of political power affect politics;

- power relationships within and between social groups (e.g. families, workplaces, bureaucracy, media etc).