..
| The
political dimension of society is all about power: how it is allocated
and exercised; what degrees of legitimacy it has; how much power
an individual, a group or an institution may have; what changes in
power arrangements may happen. |
.
| In
a sociological study of the family, therefore, there are two elements of
the power dimension. |
.
| If
we were to follow in the micro level bias of family literature, we would
look at the power arrangements inside a family, their dynamics, how they
relate to other elements of the family, how they might change, and how
they are perceived. |
.
| If
we go beyond the micro bias, however, we will
relate the family, in its composition and dynamics, to the political situation
in the community and society outside the family, and what changes may have
taken place or may be taking place. |
.
| Political
analysis should include both that within the family and that outside the
family. |
.
| The
best reference is the paper “Dimensions”
that I wrote, and the section on the political dimension of community and
culture. |
.
.
| You
might spend a bit of time to note that the political dimension of
sociology is not the same thing as the everyday notion of politics, politics
written by journalists, or even of political science, and goes beyond such
things as voting, political parties, parliament and government. |
.
| You
might also observe that ideology, closely associated with everyday notions
of politics, does not belong the the political dimension of culture and
society, but to the values dimension. |
. |
