Priyadarshini: Sociology I answer copy

The discipline of sociology as a systematic body of concepts, theoretical propositions and methodology owes its emergence to prevailing social forces and intellectual forces of its time. Sociology arose as a response to the fundamental disjunct and transition from a feudal based agrarian economy to a modern capitalist industrial system. The industrial revolution that arose first in Britain from 1750 onwards was a product of a complex of technological advancements, scientific innovations, mercantile capitalism and geographical adventurism. The emergence of the 'factory system', with division of work between the private home steads to the public spaces of factories led to widespread social, economic and even sub-cultural ramifications.

Sociology thus was formed to take account of the changing society, the disruption of earlier values and its substitution with new social norms, goals and value orientations. Thinkers such as August Comte, Herbert Spencer and later Emile Durkhiem, who established its foundation reflected a preoccupation with social order, as prevailing norms and structures were changing at a rapid pace. Comte's concern of studying both social statics and social dynamic, as well as an evolutionary paradigm of social change reflected a society in transition.

A discipline and its concerns are shaped by the context and its most pressing issues.

The Industrial Revolution was not simply a structural change in the processes of production, but a moral and social transformation. It created distinctive social relationships characterized by formality and impersonality, new social institutions within the modern capitalist system and new urban social spaces (slums, ghettos) and a new form of social and class based differentiation. This was coupled with parallel social forces of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment, placing emphasis on human reason and tools of scientific enquiry in understanding human social life.