Sociology & Society, P’B-SAN

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.
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Sociology & Society Encyclopedia Articles By Title

p’Bitek, Okot
Okot p’Bitek was a Ugandan poet, novelist, and social anthropologist whose three verse collections—Song of Lawino......
QAnon
QAnon, conspiracy theory originating in forum posts on the website 4chan in October 2017. Conspiracy adherents......
Qingming Festival
Qingming Festival, bittersweet Chinese festival for honoring ancestors that is celebrated on the 15th day after......
Quetelet, Adolphe
Adolphe Quetelet was a Belgian mathematician, astronomer, statistician, and sociologist known for his application......
Quinney, Richard
Richard Quinney is an American philosopher and criminologist known for his critical philosophical approach to criminal......
Rabbinical Council of America
Rabbinical Council of America, organization of Orthodox rabbis, almost all of whom have received their rabbinical......
Racism
Racism, the belief that humans may be divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called “races”; that......
Radcliffe-Brown, A.R.
A.R. Radcliffe-Brown was an English social anthropologist of the 20th century who developed a systematic framework......
Radin, Paul
Paul Radin was a U.S. anthropologist who was influential in advancing a historical model of social structures based......
Raikes, Robert
Robert Raikes was a British journalist, philanthropist, and pioneer of the Sunday-school movement. His philanthropic......
Rajaratnam, Raj
Raj Rajaratnam is an American investor who was convicted in 2011 of securities fraud and conspiracy in one of the......
Rajput
Rajput, (from Sanskrit raja-putra, “son of a king”), any of about 12 million landowners organized in patrilineal......
Rakovsky, Khristian Georgiyevich
Khristian Georgiyevich Rakovsky was a Bulgarian revolutionary who conducted subversive activities in Romania before......
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission, Hindu religious society that carries out extensive educational and philanthropic work in India......
Ramananda
Ramananda was a North Indian Brahman (priest), held by his followers (Ramanandis) to be fifth in succession in......
Ranade, Mahadev Govind
Mahadev Govind Ranade was one of India’s Citpavan Brahmans of Maharashtra who was a judge of the High Court of......
RAPP
RAPP, association formed in the Soviet Union in 1928 out of various groups of proletarian writers who were dedicated......
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Hindu nationalist volunteer organization with a widespread network of affiliate......
Ratzel, Friedrich
Friedrich Ratzel was a German geographer and ethnographer and a principal influence in the modern development of......
Ratzenhofer, Gustav
Gustav Ratzenhofer was an Austrian soldier, military jurist, and sociologist. He was a Social Darwinist who conceived......
Real Stories Behind the Oscar Nominees
Learn about the people who inspired some of the films nominated for Academy Awards in 2015. spotlight, spotlight,......
Reckless, Walter
Walter Reckless was an American criminologist known for his containment theory of criminology, which stated that......
Redfield, Robert
Robert Redfield was a U.S. cultural anthropologist who was the pioneer and, for a number of years, the principal......
redlining
redlining, illegal discriminatory practice in which a mortgage lender denies loans or an insurance provider restricts......
Reform Judaism, Union for
Union for Reform Judaism, oldest American federation of Jewish congregations, which, since its founding (1873)......
Reichs, Kathy
Kathy Reichs is an American forensic anthropologist and author of a popular series of mystery books centring on......
Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday, in the United Kingdom, holiday held on the second Sunday of November that commemorates British......
Renovated Church
Renovated Church, federation of several reformist church groups that took over the central administration of the......
rent party
rent party, party thrown by African Americans who lived in urban neighbourhoods during the early decades of the......
replacement theory
replacement theory, in the United States and certain other Western countries whose populations are mostly white,......
Reproductive Freedom for All
Reproductive Freedom for All, American organization, founded in 1969 to centralize state abortion-rights efforts......
Republic Day
Republic Day, in India, national holiday celebrated annually on January 26 to commemorate the entry into force......
Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee (RNC), American political organization that oversees the activities of the Republican......
Residence
Residence, in anthropology, the location of a domicile, particularly after marriage. Residence has been an important......
resource dependency theory
resource dependency theory, in sociology, the study of the impact of resource acquisition on organizational behaviour.......
Retzius, Anders Adolf
Anders Adolf Retzius was an anatomist and anthropologist who is best known for his pioneer studies in craniometry......
Retzius, Magnus Gustaf
Magnus Gustaf Retzius was a Swedish anatomist and anthropologist best-known for his studies of the histology of......
Revolution Day
Revolution Day, public holiday celebrated in Egypt to commemorate the military coup of July 23, 1952, that led......
Revolutionary United Front
Revolutionary United Front (RUF), guerrilla unit formed in 1991 in Sierra Leone whose actions created instability......
Rhodes, Cecil
Cecil Rhodes was a financier, statesman, and empire builder of British South Africa. He was prime minister of Cape......
Richards, Audrey I.
Audrey I. Richards was an English social anthropologist and educator known chiefly for her researches among several......
Riesman, David
David Riesman was an American sociologist and author most noted for The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American......
Ripley, W.Z.
W. Z. Ripley was an American economist and anthropologist whose book The Races of Europe: A Sociological Study......
Rising Sun, Order of the
Order of the Rising Sun, Japanese order founded in 1875 by Emperor Meiji and awarded for exceptional civil or military......
ritual
ritual, the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by tradition or by sacerdotal decree. Ritual is a specific,......
Rivers, W H R
W. H. R. Rivers was an English medical psychologist and anthropologist known principally for The Todas (1906),......
Rivet, Paul
Paul Rivet was a French ethnologist who suggested Australian and Melanesian origins for the Indigenous peoples......
Robert F. Smith
Robert F. Smith is one of the most successful investors in modern private equity and a defining figure in the software......
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote, nonprofit political advocacy organization dedicated to increasing youth voter turnout in the United......
Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family, prominent American family whose philanthropy and influence over several generations helped......
Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation, U.S. philanthropic organization. It was endowed by John D. Rockefeller of the famed Rockefeller......
Rockefeller, John D.
John D. Rockefeller was an American industrialist and philanthropist who founded the Standard Oil Company, which......
Rockefeller, John D., III
John D. Rockefeller III was an American philanthropist, a member of the famed Rockefeller family. He was the eldest......
Rockefeller, John D., Jr.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was an American philanthropist, the only son of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., and heir to......
Rockefeller, Laura Spelman
Laura Spelman Rockefeller was an American educator and philanthropist who was the wife of John D. Rockefeller of......
Rockefeller, Laurance S.
Laurance S. Rockefeller was an American venture capitalist and philanthropist and a member of the famed Rockefeller......
Rockefeller, Winthrop
Winthrop Rockefeller was an American politician and philanthropist and a member of the famed Rockefeller family.......
Rogers, Edith Nourse
Edith Nourse Rogers was an American public official, longtime U.S. congressional representative from Massachusetts,......
role
role, in sociology, the behavior expected of an individual who occupies a given social position or status. A role......
Rolston, Holmes, III
Holmes Rolston III was an American utilitarian philosopher and theologian who pioneered the fields of environmental......
Rosenwald, Julius
Julius Rosenwald was an American merchant and unorthodox philanthropist who opposed the idea of perpetual endowments......
Rosmini-Serbati, Antonio
Antonio Rosmini-Serbati was an Italian religious philosopher and founder of the Institute of Charity, or Rosminians,......
Ross, Edward A.
Edward A. Ross was a founder of sociology in the United States and one of the first sociologists to pursue a comprehensive......
Roswell incident
Roswell incident, events surrounding the crash and recovery of a U.S. Army Air Forces high-altitude balloon in......
Rothschild family
Rothschild family, the most famous of all European banking dynasties, which for some 200 years had considerable......
Rourke, Constance Mayfield
Constance Mayfield Rourke was a U.S. historian who pioneered in the study of American character and culture. After......
Rowntree, B Seebohm
B. Seebohm Rowntree was an English sociologist and philanthropist known for his studies of poverty and welfare......
Rowse, A.L.
A.L. Rowse was an English historian and writer who became one of the 20th century’s foremost authorities on Elizabethan......
Roy, Ram Mohan
Ram Mohan Roy was an Indian religious, social, and educational reformer who challenged traditional Hindu culture......
Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews
Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, one of the world’s oldest and most-influential golf organizations,......
Royal Astronomical Society
Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), British scientific society founded in 1820 to promote astronomical research.......
Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society (RGS), British group founded as the Geographical Society of London in 1830. Its headquarters......
Royal Household of the United Kingdom
Royal Household of the United Kingdom, organization that provides support to the royal family of the United Kingdom.......
Royal Society
Royal Society, the oldest national scientific society in the world and the leading national organization for the......
Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order, British order of knighthood instituted by Queen Victoria in 1896 to reward personal services......
Rubinstein, Helena
Helena Rubinstein was a cosmetician, business executive, and philanthropist. She founded Helena Rubinstein, Inc.,......
Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League, governing body of rugby league football (professional rugby) in England, founded in 1895.......
Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union, governing body of rugby union football (amateur rugby) in England, formed in 1871 to draw......
Rugby Union World Cup
Rugby Union World Cup, quadrennial union-rules rugby competition that is the sport’s premier international contest.......
rural society
rural society, society in which there is a low ratio of inhabitants to open land and in which the most important......
Ruskin, John
John Ruskin was an English critic of art, architecture, and society who was a gifted painter, a distinctive prose......
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, annual prize given by the Poetry Foundation—an independent literary organization and publisher—to......
Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup, biennial professional team golf event first held in 1927. It was played between teams of golfers from......
Róheim, Géza
Géza Róheim was a Hungarian-American psychoanalyst who was the first ethnologist to utilize a psychoanalytic approach......
Sackler, Arthur M.
Arthur M. Sackler was an American physician, medical publisher, and art collector who made large donations of money......
Sacred College of Cardinals
Sacred College of Cardinals, the group of bishops and archbishops in the Roman Catholic Church who have been created......
Safdie, Moshe
Moshe Safdie is an Israeli-Canadian-American architect best known for designing Habitat ’67 at the site of Expo......
Sage, Margaret Olivia Slocum
Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage was an American philanthropist whose exceptional generosity in her lifetime, especially......
Sahlins, Marshall
Marshall Sahlins was an American anthropologist, educator, activist, and author who through his study of the people......
Said, Edward
Edward Said was a Palestinian American academic, political activist, and literary critic who examined literature......
Saint Michael and Saint George, The Most Distinguished Order of
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, British order of knighthood founded in 1818 by......
Saint-Martin, Louis-Claude de
Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin was a French visionary philosopher who was one of the leading exponents of illuminism,......
Salmond, Anne
Anne Salmond is a New Zealand anthropologist and historian best known for her writings on New Zealand history,......
Salomon, Alice
Alice Salomon was the American founder of one of the first schools of social work and an internationally prominent......
Salvation Army
Salvation Army, international Christian religious and charitable movement organized and operated on a military......
same-sex marriage
same-sex marriage, the practice of marriage between two men or between two women. Although same-sex marriage has......
samurai
samurai, member of the Japanese warrior caste. The term samurai was originally used to denote the aristocratic......
Sanchuniathon
Sanchuniathon was an ancient Phoenician writer. All information about him is derived from the works of Philo of......
Sansi
Sansi, nomadic criminal tribe originally located in the Rājputāna area of northwestern India but expelled in the......

Sociology & Society Encyclopedia Articles By Title