Macrosociology

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Macro-sociology is a way of looking at the world of people in a broad way. It is "concerned with human societies". Macrosociology is considered one of the main foundations of sociology (contrast with micro-sociology).

In sociology there are different levels of analysis. Macro-sociology is the analysis of either large collectivities (the city, the church) or, more abstractly, of social systems and social structures. (Dictionary of Sociology, 2000)

With the perspective of macro-sociology, it is possible to better understand societies, culture, groups and organizations.

Important representatives of macro-sociological theories are:

  • Karl Marx; who analyzed society from the perspective of class conflict between workers and owners.
  • Max Weber; who viewed society as rapidly modernizing and looked at the effects of this process, such as bureaucratization.
  • Emile Durkheim; who viewed individual issues as reflective of greater social patterns, completing the first sociological study which linked suicide to societal trends.

References[change | change source]

  • Lenski, Gerhard Emmanuel; Lenski, Jean (1982). Human societies: an introduction to macrosociology. McGraw-Hill Companies. ISBN 978-0-07-037176-7.