"In the social sciences, social structure is the aggregate of patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of individuals."
Social and political systems are shaped by cultural and historical factors, they can offer insights into the way people interact with each other and the ways in which power is distributed within a particular society.
Anthropology: Study of human societies, cultures and their evolution over time.
Sociology: Study of the organization, behavior, and interaction of individuals within societies.
Political Science: Study of politics, government systems, political behavior, and political theory.
International Relations: Study of global political and economic relations between countries.
History: Study of past events and their effects on societies, including social and political systems.
Law: Study of legal systems, laws, and their impact on societies.
Economics: Study of how societies allocate resources and produce goods and services to meet their needs.
Philosophy: Study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, and morals.
Culture: Study of shared beliefs, values, practices, and customs of a society or group.
Religion: Study of specific beliefs and practices of religious systems in society.
Gender Studies: Study of gender roles, identities, and inequalities in societies.
Race and Ethnicity: Study of racial and ethnic identity and their impact on social and political systems.
Class and Inequality: Study of economic and social hierarchies and their impact on society.
Social Movements: Study of organized efforts to bring about social or political change.
Democracy: Study of political systems in which the power is held by the people, usually through elections or representative government.
Authoritarianism: Study of political systems in which power is held by one person or entity with highly centralized control over society.
Marxism: Study of the social, economic and political theories developed by Karl Marx.
Feminism: Study of beliefs and theories advocating for gender equality in society.
Nationalism: Study of the belief in the superiority of one's own nation and loyalty to one's country.
Imperialism: Study of the practice of extending power and control over other nations and peoples, often involving economic and military dominance.
Tribal Societies: Communities with a common ancestry, based on kinship, with leadership often based on elder's wisdom, and social organization based on heredity.
Feudalism: A social and economic system based on hierarchical relationships between lords, vassals, and serfs, commonly used in medieval Europe.
Monarchy: A form of government in which a single person, usually a king, queen, or emperor, holds supreme power.
Democracy: A system of government in which citizens have the power to participate in decision-making processes, typically through voting rights.
Dictatorship: A form of government in which a single individual or party exercises absolute power over the state and its people, often with little regard for civil liberties or human rights.
Communism: A political theory advocating for the collective ownership of means of production and distribution, with the goal of creating a classless society.
Fascism: An authoritarian political ideology that stresses the supreme importance of the state and often relies on nationalist, militaristic, and anti-democratic policies.
Socialism: A political and economic system in which the means of production, distribution, and exchange are owned and controlled by the community as a whole, with the aim of creating a more equitable and just society.
Libertarianism: A political philosophy that emphasizes individual freedom, limited government intervention, and the free market.
Anarchism: A political theory based on the rejection of all forms of government and centralized authority, advocating instead for a society based on voluntary associations and mutual aid.
"Society is believed to be grouped into structurally related groups or sets of roles, with different functions, meanings, or purposes."
"Examples of social structure include family, religion, law, economy, and class."
"It contrasts with 'social system', which refers to the parent structure in which these various structures are embedded."
"Social structures significantly influence larger systems, such as economic systems, legal systems, political systems, cultural systems, etc."
"It determines the norms and patterns of relations between the various institutions of the society."
"Since the 1920s, the term has been in general use in social science."
"...especially as a variable whose sub-components needed to be distinguished in relationship to other sociological variables, as well as in academic literature, as a result of the rising influence of structuralism."
"The concept of 'social stratification', for instance, uses the idea of social structure to explain that most societies are separated into different strata (levels), guided (if only partially) by the underlying structures in the social system."
"...an organization's structure may determine its flexibility, capacity to change, etc. In this sense, structure is an important issue for management."
"On the macro scale, social structure pertains to the system of socioeconomic stratification (most notably the class structure), social institutions, or other patterned relations between large social groups."
"On the meso scale, it concerns the structure of social networks between individuals or organizations."
"'Social structure' includes the ways in which 'norms' shape the behavior of individuals within the social system."
"John Levi Martin has theorized that certain macro-scale structures are the emergent properties of micro-scale cultural institutions."
"...a recent study describes how indigenous social structure in the Republic of Panama changed macro social structures and impeded a planned Panama Canal expansion."
"Marxist sociology has also historically mixed different meanings of social structure, though doing so by simply treating the cultural aspects of social structure as phenomenal of its economic aspects."
"Social norms are believed to influence social structure through relations between the majority and the minority."
"Majority-minority relations create a hierarchical stratification within social structures that favors the majority in all aspects of society."
"As those who align with the majority are considered 'normal', and those who align with the minority are considered 'abnormal'..."
"Majority-minority relations create a hierarchical stratification within social structures that favors the majority in all aspects of society."