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UPSC SOCIOLOGY Syllabus :
Paper 1 – Chapter 6 – Politics and Society:
(a) Sociological theories of power
(b) Power elite, bureaucracy, pressure groups, and political parties.
(c) Nation, state, citizenship, democracy, civil society, ideology.
(d) Protest, agitation, social movements, collective action, revolution.
- Nation is a sort of large-scale community – it is a community of communities. Members of a nation share the desire to be part of the same political collectivity.
- This desire for political unity usually expresses itself as the aspiration to form a state.
- In its most general sense, the term ‘state’ refers to an abstract entity consisting of a set of political-legal institutions claiming control over a particular geographical territory and the people living in it.
NATION
- A nation unlike a state is not a territorial or purely political concept, but associated with sentiments, aspirations and consciousness rooted in a common identity based upon a common ideology, common culture, history etc.
- Nation as a concept is often ‘described’ and not ‘defined’. For example – despite diverse cultural groupings, Chinese share common sentiments based upon a common ideology.
- Similarly, in USA poly-ethnic nationalism is present. Israel has a religious-nationalism.
NATIONALISM
- Nationalism can be defined as a set of symbols and beliefs providing the sense of being part of a single political community. Thus, individuals feel a sense of pride and belonging, in being ‘British’, ‘Indian’, ‘Indonesian’ or ‘French’.
- Nationalism, however, only made its appearance with the development of the modern state.
STATE
- Today state is one of the most important and of highest level human collectivity. Its origin is traced in Greek city-state called ‘polis’.
In political science, various theories are given for its existence like – Evolution theory, Social Contract theory etc. - State is defined as a political apparatus – including governments, administration etc – ruling over a given territory, with an authority backed by some form of law and having power to use force.
NATION AND STATE – COMPARISON
- A nation is a nationality which has organized itself into a political body either independent or desiring to be independent. The state is a territorially organized people.
- Nationality is subjective, statehood is objective.
- Nationality is psychological, statehood is political.
- Nationality is a spiritual possession whereas statehood is an enforceable obligation.
- Sovereignty is emphasized as an essential element of state but not of nation.