Curated category
Sociological terminology
- Social classThe word class comes from the Latin term classis, which census takers used to categorize citizens by wealth. This ancient classification determined military…
- IdeologyAntoine Destutt de Tracy coined the word ideology in 1796 while imprisoned during the Reign of Terror. He conceived it as a science of ideas to develop a…
- Power (social and political)In political science, power is the ability to influence or direct the actions, beliefs, or conduct of actors. This definition does not exclusively refer to…
- Structure and agencyIn the social sciences there is a standing debate over the primacy of structure or agency in shaping human behaviour. Structure refers to recurrent patterned…
- Trust (social science)Trust is the belief that another person will do what is expected and is built through repeated consistency. It brings with it a willingness for one party to…
- Identity (social science)The Latin noun identitas first appeared in scholarly texts to describe an individual's sameness with others. Collins Dictionary of Sociology defines identity…
- Work (human activity)An aircraft worker in Texas during World War II, 1942, stands before a fuselage with tools in hand. This image captures the core of work as intentional…
- Western cultureThe year 395 marked the permanent splitting of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern halves, creating a cultural divide that persists to this day.
- Social networkIn the late 1890s, Émile Durkheim and Ferdinand Tönnies began laying the theoretical groundwork for what would become social network analysis.
- Sphere of influenceA 1912 newspaper cartoon shows the United States casting a long shadow over Latin America. This image captures the essence of a sphere of influence, a…
- Pre-industrial societyThe Industrial Revolution began between 1750 and 1850. This period marks the end of pre-industrial society. Before these years, machines did not perform…