Introduction Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908–1961) was a leading French phenomenologist philosopher whose contributions are deeply relevant to sociological inquiries into human experience, social existence, and embodiment. His work serves as a linchpin in understanding how individuals perceive and interact with their…
Introduction Pillarization, known in Dutch as Verzuiling, is a sociological concept that refers to the division of society into distinct social, political, and cultural groups or “pillars.” Each pillar typically has its own institutions—such as political parties, media outlets, educational…
Understanding the Concept of Political Economy Political economy is a field of inquiry that examines the interplay between economic structures and political power, highlighting how these relationships shape societies at multiple levels. From a sociological perspective, political economy is not…
Understanding the concept of ‘need’ is a foundational aspect of sociological inquiry. In everyday discourse, we often hear statements like “I need a car,” “I need a job,” or “I need affection.” However, from a sociological perspective, the word “need”…
Open-ended questions are a cornerstone of qualitative research, inviting respondents to express themselves in their own words rather than selecting from a predetermined set of options. In sociology, these questions facilitate a rich exploration of social phenomena by capturing individual…
Phratries are social and cultural groupings found in a variety of societies across history and geography. They hold significance not only in anthropological or ethnographic scholarship but also in broader sociological inquiry. The concept of a phratry is often entwined…
In the sociological landscape, phenomenology holds a central position as both a philosophical tradition and a methodological orientation. Originating in the early 20th century through the work of Edmund Husserl, phenomenology was subsequently adapted by sociologists, most notably Alfred Schütz,…
