Sociology & Society, PAL-PĆM
The study of human societies is an important tool for the improvement of living conditions. It analyzes the innumerable factors that are the makeup of human behavior and that can cause social injustice, stratification, and societal disorder in the form of crime, deviance, and revolution. It helps to find the best possible solutions to issues such as economic inequality, race relations, and gender discrimination. The discipline of sociology has grown by leaps and bounds in the last century with the contribution of scholars from different schools of thought.
Sociology & Society Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Pali Text Society
Pali Text Society, organization founded with the intention of editing and publishing the texts of the TheravÄda......
Palmer, Bertha Honoré
Bertha HonorĂ© Palmer was an American socialite remembered especially for her active contributions to womenâs, artistic,......
panchayat
panchayat, the most important adjudicating and licensing agency in the self-government of an Indian caste. There......
Parallel cousin
Parallel cousin, the child of a paternal uncle (fatherâs brother) or a maternal aunt (motherâs sister). Parallel......
pardo
pardo, In Venezuela, a person of mixed African, European, and Indian ancestry. In the colonial period, pardos,......
Parent
Parent, one who has begotten offspring, or one who occupies the role of mother or father. In Western societies,......
Pareto, Vilfredo
Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian economist and sociologist who is known for his theory on mass and elite interaction......
pariah
pariah, member of a low-caste group of Hindu Indian society, formerly known as âuntouchablesâ but now called Dalits.......
Park, Robert E.
Robert E. Park was an American sociologist noted for his work on ethnic minority groups, particularly African Americans,......
Parrish, Anne
Anne Parrish was an American philanthropist whose school for indigent girls, founded in the late 18th century,......
Parsons, Elsie Clews
Elsie Clews Parsons was an American sociologist and anthropologist whose studies of the Pueblo and other Native......
Parsons, Talcott
Talcott Parsons was an American sociologist and scholar whose theory of social action influenced the intellectual......
Particularism
Particularism, school of anthropological thought associated with the work of Franz Boas and his students (among......
Parton, Dolly
Dolly Parton was an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress who pioneered the interface......
pass law
pass law, law that required nonwhites in South Africa to carry documents authorizing their presence in restricted......
pastoral communities in India
pastoral communities in India, groups of people in that country whose livelihoods depend primarily on herding and......
pastoral nomadism
pastoral nomadism, one of the three general types of nomadism, a way of life of peoples who do not live continually......
Pastoureaux
Pastoureaux, (French: âShepherdsâ), the participants in two popular outbreaks of mystico-political enthusiasm in......
pater patriae
pater patriae, in ancient Rome, a title originally accorded (in the form parens urbis Romanae, or âparent of the......
paternalism
paternalism, attitude and practice that are commonly, though not exclusively, understood as an infringement on......
path dependence
path dependence, the tendency of institutions or technologies to become committed to develop in certain ways as......
Patriarchy
Patriarchy, hypothetical social system in which the father or a male elder has absolute authority over the family......
patrician
patrician, any member of a group of citizen families who, in contrast with the plebeian (q.v.) class, formed a......
patrimonialism
patrimonialism, form of political organization in which authority is based primarily on the personal power exercised......
Patriot Day
Patriot Day, holiday observed in the United States on September 11 to commemorate the lives of those who died in......
Paulownia Sun, Order of the
Order of the Paulownia Sun, exclusive Japanese order, founded in 1888 by Emperor Meiji and awarded for outstanding......
Peabody Award
Peabody Award, any of the awards administered annually by the University of Georgiaâs Grady College of Journalism......
Peabody, George
George Peabody was an American-born merchant and financier whose banking operations in England helped establish......
Peace People
Peace People, peace organization with headquarters in Belfast, N.Ire. Founded by MĂĄiread Maguire, Betty Williams,......
peasant
peasant, any member of a class of persons who till the soil as small landowners or as agricultural labourers. The......
peerage
peerage, Body of peers or titled nobility in Britain. The five ranks of British nobility, in descending order,......
PEN/Faulkner Award
PEN/Faulkner Award, American literary prize for fiction founded in 1980 by author Mary Lee Settle and organized......
PEN/Nabokov Award
PEN/Nabokov Award, annual American literary award for lifetime achievement established by the PEN American Center,......
penology
penology, the division of criminology that concerns itself with the philosophy and practice of society in its efforts......
Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America
Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA), fellowship of Pentecostal and charismatic Christian......
Perhimpunan Indonesia
Perhimpunan Indonesia, an Indonesian studentsâ organization in the Netherlands, formed in the early 1920s in Leiden,......
Perot, Ross
Ross Perot was an American businessman and philanthropist who ran as an independent candidate for U.S. president......
Perry, W.J.
W.J. Perry was a British geographer and anthropologist noted for his diffusionist theory of cultural development.......
personalismo
personalismo, in Latin America, the practice of glorifying a single leader, with the resulting subordination of......
PerĂłn, Eva
Eva PerĂłn was the second wife of Argentine Pres. Juan PerĂłn, who, during her husbandâs first term as president......
PFLAG
PFLAG, American organization representing the interests of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+)......
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Beta Kappa, leading academic honour society in the U.S., which draws its membership from college and university......
philanthropic foundation
philanthropic foundation, a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization, with assets provided by donors and managed......
philanthropy
philanthropy, voluntary organized efforts intended for socially useful purposes. Philanthropic groups existed in......
Photo League
Photo League, organization of New York City photographers devoted to documenting life in the cityâs working-class......
phyle
phyle, any of several âtribesâ that formed the largest political subgroups within all Dorian and most Ionian Greek......
Physical anthropology
Physical anthropology, branch of anthropology concerned with the origin, evolution, and diversity of people. Physical......
Pike, Kenneth L.
Kenneth L. Pike was an American linguist and anthropologist known for his studies of the aboriginal languages of......
pinacotheca
pinacotheca, a picture gallery in either ancient Greece or ancient Rome. The original pinacotheca, which housed......
Pioneers
Pioneers, former Soviet organization for youth aged 9 to 14, closely associated with the Komsomol (q.v.) for youth......
Pizzagate
For the first 10 years it was in business, Comet Ping Pong was just a popular family-friendly pizza joint occupying......
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood, American organization that, since its founding in 1942, has worked as an advocate for education......
plebeian
plebeian, member of the general citizenry in ancient Rome as opposed to the privileged patrician class. The distinction......
Plehve, Vyacheslav Konstantinovich
Vyacheslav Konstantinovich Plehve was a Russian imperial statesman whose efforts to uphold autocratic principle,......
Polanyi, Karl
Karl Polanyi was an economic anthropologist and former Hungarian political leader. In college in Budapest Polanyi......
political action committee
political action committee (PAC), in U.S. politics, an organization whose purpose is to raise and distribute campaign......
political correctness
political correctness (PC), term used to refer to language that seems intended to give the least amount of offense,......
Polyandry
Polyandry, marriage of a woman to two or more men at the same time; the term derives from the Greek polys, âmany,â......
Polygamy
Polygamy, marriage to more than one spouse at a time. The most typical forms of polygamy have been polygyny, in......
Polygyny
Polygyny, marriage in which two or more women share a husband. Sororal polygyny, in which the cowives are sisters,......
Pongal
Pongal, four-day harvest festival of Tamil Nadu state, southern India. Pongal is also celebrated by the Tamil diaspora......
Port Phillip Association
Port Phillip Association, (1836â39), organization of settlers from Van Diemenâs Land (Tasmania) formed to purchase......
Post, Marjorie Merriweather
Marjorie Merriweather Post became one of the wealthiest women in the United States after inheriting her fatherâs......
Potlatch
Potlatch, ceremonial distribution of property and gifts to affirm or reaffirm social status, as uniquely institutionalized......
Pour le MĂ©rite
Pour le MĂ©rite, distinguished Prussian order established by Frederick II the Great in 1740, which had a military......
poverty
poverty, the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Poverty......
Powdermaker, Hortense
Hortense Powdermaker was a U.S. cultural anthropologist who helped to initiate the anthropological study of contemporary......
Powell, John Wesley
John Wesley Powell was an American explorer, geologist, and ethnologist, best known for his exploration of the......
power sharing
power sharing, distribution of political power among different organs and levels of government, as well as among......
powwow
powwow, a celebration of American Indian culture in which people from diverse indigenous nations gather for the......
Praemium Imperiale
Praemium Imperiale, an international arts prize awarded annually since 1989 by the Japan Art Association in Tokyo.......
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom, the foremost U.S. civilian decoration, awarded to individuals who have made âan......
Presidentsâ Day
Presidentsâ Day, in the United States, holiday observed annually on the third Monday in February. The day is legally......
Price Mars, Jean
Jean Price Mars was a Haitian physician, public official, diplomat, ethnologist, and historian of his countryâs......
Prichard, James Cowles
James Cowles Prichard was an English physician and ethnologist who was among the first to assign all the human......
Pride Month
Pride Month is an annual celebration, usually in June in the United States and at other times in some countries,......
Primatology
Primatology, the study of the primate order of mammalsâother than recent humans (Homo sapiens). The species are......
Primitive culture
Primitive culture, in the lexicon of early anthropologists, any of numerous societies characterized by features......
Primogeniture and ultimogenitureultimogeniture
Primogeniture and ultimogenitureultimogeniture, preference in inheritance that is given by law, custom, or usage......
prince
prince, a European title of rank, usually denoting a person exercising complete or almost complete sovereignty......
Prince Philip: A Life in Pictures
Philip, duke of Edinburgh, was the prince consort and husband to Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. To many,......
Princess Diana: A Life in Pictures
Princess Diana lived a short but remarkable life. Once known as âShy Di,â she became one of the worldâs biggest......
Pritzker family
Pritzker family, American family prominent in business and philanthropy during the later 20th century. The familyâs......
Pritzker Prize
Pritzker Prize, international award given annually to recognize the contributions of a living architect. It has......
Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt, French literary prize, one of the most important in France. It was first conceived in 1867 by the......
Prix Renaudot
Prix Renaudot, French literary prize awarded to the author of an outstanding original novel published during the......
priyayi
priyayi, in traditional Javanese society, a class that comprised the elite in contrast to the masses, or âlittle......
Professional Golfersâ Association of America
The Professional Golfersâ Association of America (PGA of America) is an organization formed in the United States......
Project Blue Book
Project Blue Book, code name for the United Statesâ longest-running Air Force program dedicated to investigating......
proletariat
proletariat, the lowest or one of the lowest economic and social classes in a society. In ancient Rome the proletariat......
Proletkult
Proletkult, (Russian: âProletarian Cultureâ), organization established in the Soviet Union in 1917 to provide the......
prom
prom, formal dance held in American high schools, typically for students in the spring semester of their junior......
Propaganda
Propaganda, dissemination of informationâfacts, arguments, rumours, half-truths, or liesâto influence public opinion.......
Propagation of the Faith, Society for the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith, organ of the papacy for the collection and distribution of money to support......
Proud Boys
Proud Boys, neofascist white nationalist organization established in the United States in 2016. The groupâs members......
public opinion
public opinion, an aggregate of the individual views, attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed......
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes are prestigious awards presented annually for outstanding public service and achievement in......
Pushkin Prize
Pushkin Prize, Russian literary prize established in 1881 in honour of Aleksandr Pushkin, one of Russiaâs greatest......
Putnam, Frederic Ward
Frederic Ward Putnam was an American anthropologist who was a leader in the founding of anthropological science......
PĆmare, MÄui
MÄui PĆmare was a MÄori statesman and physician whose public health work helped revive New Zealandâs MÄori population,......