SP 219 - Political Sociology
Semester 2, 2015-16
Dr Niall Ó Dochartaigh
Room 318, 2nd Floor, Aras Moyola
e-mail:niall.odochartaigh@nuigalway.ie
Course Aims:
Political sociology is the study of the relationship between society and politics.
Traditionally political sociologists have focused on such topics as the types of sociopolitical orders, theories of the state, or political culture. Recent years have seen much
attention being devoted to the socio-historical study of a range of issues relating to state
power, social stratification, war, violence, political legitimacy, authority, ideology,
citizenship, social movements, nationalism, ethnicity and globalisation. This course will
provide an introduction to both classical and contemporary issues in political sociology.
It will review the leading theoretical and historical approaches in the field in a way that
illustrates theory with concrete empirical work and historical case studies.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course students are expected to be able to demonstrate detailed
understanding of the main approaches and central debates in political sociology including
familiarity with key sociological concepts such as the state, war and organised violence,
social movements, citizenship, ideology, political violence, nationalism and globalisation.
Class Attendance:
Full attendance at all lectures is essential and attendance will be recorded.
Course Programme
1 – Introduction: Power, Politics and Society
Essential Reading:
*Faulks, K. (1999) ‘Introduction’ in his Political Sociology: A Critical Introduction. New
York: New York University Press, pp 1-8. (FAU 306.2)
Additional Reading:
Dobratz, B.,Waldner, L. and Buzzell, T. (2011) ‘Power’ in Power, Politics and Society:
An Introduction to Political Sociology. Boston: Pearson. pp. 1-35.
Drake, Michael (2010). Political sociology for a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity.
Chs 1 (introduction)
Jenkins, J. C. (2000) Political Sociology. Encyclopedia of Sociology, Vol. 3, 2162-2168.
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Nash, K. (2000) ‘Introduction: Changing Definitions of Politics and Power in Political
Sociology’ in Contemporary Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 1- 19. (306.2
NAS)
2 – Tradition, Modernity and Post-modernity
Essential Reading:
* Gellner, E. (1997) ‘A Short History of Mankind’ and ‘The Industrial and Industrialising
World’ in Nationalism. London: Phoenix, pp. 14-30. (320.54 GEL)
Additional Reading:
Bauman, Z. (1989) Modernity and the Holocaust. Cambridge: Polity
Bauman, Z. (1991) ‘The Quest for Order’ in Modernity and Ambivalence. Cambridge:
Polity Press, pp. 1-17. (306 BAU)
Crook, S. (2001) ‘Social theory and the Postmodern’. In Ritzer, G., & Smart, B.,
Handbook of social theory. London: Sage.
Gellner, E. (1990) Plough, Sword and Book: The Structure of Human History. Chicago:
Chicago University Press.
Delanty, G. (2000) Modernity and Postmodernity. London: Sage.
Giddens, A. (1985) The Nation-State and Violence. Cambridge: Polity. Especially Ch. 2,
‘The Traditional State: Domination and Military Power’, pp.35-60
Mann, M. (1986, 1993) The Sources of Social Power, Vol.1 and Vol. 2. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
3 – The State
Essential Reading:
Hay, C and Lister, M. (2006) ‘Introduction: Theories of the State’. In Hay, C., Lister, M.,
& Marsh, D. (Eds.). The State: Theories and Issues. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Additional Reading:
Dobratz, B., Waldner, L. and Buzzell, T. (2011) ‘Role of the State’ in Power, Politics
and Society: An Introduction to Political Sociology. Boston: Pearson. pp. 36-70.
Drake, Michael (2010). Political sociology for a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity.
Ch. 2 (on power).
Faulks, K. (1999) ‘Classical Theories of the State’ in his Political Sociology: A Critical
Introduction. New York: New York University Press, pp 20-50.
Giddens, A. (1985) Administrative Power, Internal Pacification’ ‘in his The Nation-State
and Violence. Cambridge: Polity, pp. 172-197
Hall, J. and Ikenberry, G. (1989) The State Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
Especially ch.1, ‘The State and Social Theory’.
Hay, C., Lister, M., & Marsh, D. (Eds.) (2006) The State: Theories and Issues.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Chs 1,2 and 3.
Mann, M. (1984) 'The Autonomous Power of the State: its Origins, Mechanisms and
Results'. European Journal of Sociology, 25 (2) 185-213.
2
Poggi, G. (2004) ‘Theories of State Formation’. In Nash K. and Scott A. (eds.) The
Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell.
4 – Nations and Nationalism
Essential Reading:
* Day, G. and A. Thompson (2004) ‘Modernity and Modernization’. In Theorizing
Nationalism. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.41-62.
Additional Reading:
Billig, M. (1995) Banal Nationalism. London: Sage.
Delanty G. and Kumar, K. (eds.) (2006) The Sage Handbook of Nations and Nationalism.
London: Sage, especially ch. 13
Drake, Michael (2010). Political sociology for a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity.
pp.104-115.
Gellner, E. (1983) ‘Industrial Society’ in his Nations and Nationalism. Oxford:
Blackwell. pp. 19-38 (320.54 GEL) (On Blackboard)
Giddens, A. (1985) ‘Nation-State, Nation, Nationalism’ and ‘Citizenship, Ideology and
Nationalism’ in his The Nation-State and Violence. Cambridge: Polity, pp. 116-123 and
212-221.
Hearn Jonathan (2006) Rethinking Nationalism: A Critical Introduction, London:
Palgrave Macmillan.
Holton, R. J. (2011). ‘Nationalism and Ethnicity in a Globalizing World’ In Globalization
and the Nation-State. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.158-88.
Maleševic, S. (2013) Nation-States and Nationalisms. Cambridge: Polity
Gellner, E. (1997) Nationalism. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Ozkirimli, U. (2010) Theories of Nationalism. London: Palgrave.
Smith, A. D. (1998) ‘The Culture of Industrialism’ in Nationalism and Modernism.
London: Routledge, pp. 27-46. (320.54 SMI)
Smith, A. D. (1988). The Ethnic Origins of nations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
5 – Information Society
Essential Reading:
Webster, F., Raimo Blom, R. et al (eds) (2004) The Information Society Reader.
London: Routledge, pp. 133-149 (on Manuel Castells). 303.4833 INF
Additional Reading:
Castells, M., The Rise of the Network Society, Oxford: Blackwell, 1996.
Castells, M. (2001) The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business, and
Society. Oxford; New York : Oxford University Press. 303.4833 CAS
Garrett, K. (2006). ‘Protest in an Information Society: A Review of Literature on Social
Movements and New ICTs’. Information, Communication and Society, 9(2), 202-224.
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Van de Donk, W., Loader, B.D., Nixon, P.G., and Rucht, D. (eds) (2004)
Cyberprotest: New Media, Citizens, and Social Movements. London: Routledge.
Webster, F. (1995) Theories of the Information Society London: Routledge. 302.2 WEB
Webster, F.(ed) (2001) Culture and Politics in the Information Age: a New Politics?
London: Routledge. 303.4833 CU
Webster, F., Raimo Blom, R. et al (eds) (2004) The Information Society Reader.
London: Routledge.
6 –Citizenship, Social Class, and the Social State (Dr Kevin Ryan)
Essential Reading:
Marshall, T.H. [1949] (1992) ‘Citizenship and Social Class’, in Marshall, T.H. &
Bottomore, T., Citizenship and Social Class (305.5094)
Rose, N. (1999) Chapter 3, ‘The Social’, in Powers of Freedom (320.011 ROS)
Additional Reading:
Citizenship and Social Class
Bottomore, T. (1992) ‘Citizenship and Social Class, Forty Years On’, in Marshall, T.H.
& Bottomore, T. Citizenship and Social Class (305.5094)
The Social State
Miller, P. & Rose, N. (2008) Chapter 4, ‘The Death of the Social?’, in Governing the
Present (361.6 MIL)
Rose, N. (1990) Chapters 11, ‘The Young Citizen’, 1 ‘The Psychology of War’, & 5 ‘The
Subject of Work’, in Governing the Soul (303.3 ROS)
Turner, B. (1994) Citizenship: Critical Concepts (323.6 CIT)
Faulks, K. (2000) Citizenship (323.6)
K. Polanyi [1944] (2001) The Great Transformation (330.9 POL)
Foucault, M. (2008) The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France 1978-79
(320.51 FOU)
Rose, N. (1999) Powers of Freedom (320.011 ROS)
Miller, P. & Rose, N. (2008) Governing the Present (361.6 MIL)
Rose, N. (1990) Governing the Soul (303.3 ROS)
7 – Political Legitimacy
Essential Reading:
*S. Malesevic (2002) ‘Political Legitimacy’ in his Ideology, Legitimacy and the New
State. London: Routledge, pp. 84-113. (320.9497 MAL)
Additional Reading:
M. Weber (1968) ‘The Types of Legitimate Domination’ in his Economy and Society.
New York: Bedminster Press, pp. 212-255. (301 WEB)
D. Beetham (2004) Political Legitimacy. In K. Nash and A. Scott (eds.) The Blackwell
Companion to Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell.
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M. Rush (1992) Politics and Society: An Introduction to Political Sociology London:
Harvester Wheatsheaf, pp.43-55.
R. Barker (1990) Political Legitimacy and the State. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
D. Beetham (1991) The Legitimation of Power. Atlantic Highlands: Humanities Press
International.
C. Lane (1984) ‘Legitimacy and Power in the Soviet Union Through Socialist Ritual’
British Journal of Political Science, 14, pp. 207-17.
T. Rigby (1982) ‘Introduction: Political Legitimacy, Weber and Communist MonoOrganisational Systems’ in T.Rigby and F. Feher (eds), Political Legitimation in
Communist States. London: Macmillan.
8 – Political Violence
Essential Reading:
Kalyvas, S. (2007). Civil Wars. in Boix, C. & Stokes, S.C (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook
of Comparative Politics pp. 416-434. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Additional Reading:
Dobratz, B., Waldner, L. and Buzzell, T. (2011) ‘Violence and Terrorism’ in Power,
Politics and Society: An Introduction to Political Sociology. Boston: Pearson. pp. 303343.
Drake, M. (2004) ‘Revolution’.in Nash K. and Scott, A. (eds.) The Blackwell Companion
to Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 195-207.
Della Porta, D. (2004) ‘Terror against the state’. In Nash, K. and Scott, A. (eds.) The
Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 208-216.
Mason, T. D., Crenshaw, M., McClintock, C., & Walter, B. (2007). How Political
Violence Ends: Paths to Conflict Deescalation and Termination. APSA Task Force on
Political Violence and Terrorism, Group 3. Online.
Smyth, M. (2012). The Ashgate Research Companion to Political Violence. Burlington,
VT: Ashgate.
Collier, P., Hoeffler, A., & Rohner, D. (2009). ‘Beyond Greed and Grievance: Feasibility
and Civil War’. Oxford Economic Papers, 61(1), 1-27. Online.
9 – Globalisation and the Nation-State
Essential Reading:
Mann, M. (1997) 'Has Globalization Ended the Rise and Rise of the Nation-State?'
Review of International Political Economy, 4 (3) 472-496.
Additional Reading:
Bauman, Z. (1998) Globalisation: Human Consequences. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Dobratz, B., Waldner, L. and Buzzell, T (2011) ‘Globalization’ in Power, Politics and
Society: An Introduction to Political Sociology. Boston: Pearson. pp. 344-376.
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Drake, Michael (2010). Political sociology for a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity.
Ch. 9.
Faulks, K. (1999) Political Sociology: A Critical Introduction. New York: New York
University Press, pp 53-70.
Giddens, A. (1985) The Nation-State and Violence. Cambridge: Polity, pp.83-121 and
255-293.
Hall, J.A. (2000) ‘Globalisation and Nationalism’. Thesis Eleven. 63, pp. 63-79.
Holton, R. J. (2011). ‘Is the Nation State finished?’ In Globalization and the nation-state.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Marsh, D, Smith, N & Hothi, N 2005, 'Globalization and the State'. In Hay, C, Lister, M,
& Marsh, D (Eds.). The state: theories and issues. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.
172-189.
Nash, K. (2000) ‘Politics in a Small World: Globalisation and the Displacement of the
Sovereign Nation-State’ in her Contemporary Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell,
pp.47-99.
10 –Social Movements
Essential Reading:
Tarrow, S. and Tilly, C. (2007) ‘Contentious Politics and Social Movements’ in Boix, C.
& Stokes, S.C (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics Oxford: Oxford
University Press, pp. 435-460.
Additional Reading:
Boudreau, V and Meyer, D. (2009) ‘Social Movements’. In Landman, T., & Robinson, N.
(Eds.), The SAGE handbook of comparative politics. London: Sage, pp.348-361.
Drake, Michael (2010). Political sociology for a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity.
Ch. 7.
Faulks, K. (1999) ‘New Social Movements’ in his Political Sociology: A Critical
Introduction. New York: New York University Press, pp. 87-103. (306.2 FAU)
Dobratz, B., Waldner, L. and Buzzell, T. (2011) ‘Social Movements’ in Power, Politics
and Society: An Introduction to Political Sociology. Boston: Pearson. pp. 269-302.
Johnston, H. (2011). States and Social Movements. Cambridge: Polity.
Nash, K. (2000) ‘The Politicisation of the Social: Social Movements and Cultural
Politics’ Contemporary Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell, pp.100-151.
Tarrow, S. (1994) Power in Movement: Social Movements, Collective Action and
Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Della Porta, D. and Diani, M. (1999) Social Movements: An Introduction. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Scott, A. (1995) Ideology and the new Social Movements. London: Routledge.
EASTER BREAK
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11 – Organised Violence and Modernity
Essential Reading:
*Malesevic, S. 2010. ‘Organised Violence and Modernity’ in his The Sociology of War
and Violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press pp 118-145. (303.6 MAL)
A. Giddens (1985) ‘Capitalist Development and the Industrialisation of War’ in his The
Nation-State and Violence. Cambridge: Polity, pp.222-255.
Additional Reading:
Drake, Michael (2010). Political sociology for a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity.
Ch. 10. pp.194-206 on ‘New Wars’.
Giddens. A (1985) ‘Capitalist Development and the Industrialisation of War’ in his The
Nation-State and Violence. Cambridge: Polity, pp.222-255. (320.1 GID) and ‘State,
Nation-State and Military Power in Social Theory’ (22-31) and ‘Military power from the
Absolutist to the Nation-State pp.103-116.
Joas, H. 1999 ‘The Modernity of War’ International Sociology. 14 (4): 457-472.
Joas, H. (2003) ‘The Dream of Modernity without Violence’ in his War and Modernity.
Cambridge: Polity Press pp. 29-42. (303.66 JOA)
Malesevic, S. (2008) ‘War’ in V. Parrillo (ed.) Encyclopeadia of Social Problems.
London: Sage. pp. 1010-1012.
Malesevic, S. 2010. ‘War and Violence before Modernity’ in his The Sociology of War
and Violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp 89-117.
Scott, A. (2004) ‘The Political Sociology of War’. In Nash, K and Scott, A. (eds.) The
Blackwell Companion to Political Sociology. Oxford: Blackwell.
12 – Course Review and Revision
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