An Evaluation of the Place of Sociology of Small Groups in Sociology

Abstract

This study aims to recall the importance of the sociology of small groups and small group research in sociology and briefly explains the emergence of the sociology of small groups as a sub-discipline within the developmental story of sociology itself. The study evaluates the dichotomies within sociology and the impact these dichotomies have had on the sociology of small groups before providing a brief history of small group studies. The study also provides examples of prominent names such as Cooley and Mead and subjects of study in the sociology of small groups beginning from the 19th century to the present. The article also addresses the difficulty of talking about the history of the sociology of small groups. The last section discusses the importance of studying small groups and the challenges of small group studies. This study should be read as an effort to find a rightful place for the field of the sociology of small groups in contemporary sociology. Studying small groups has been important in sociology since its emergence as a discipline. This study recalls how sociology can use small groups to offer solutions to conceptual and methodological dichotomies and emphasizes the importance of conducting small group studies at the meso-sociological level.

Keywords

• the sociology of small groups
• study of small groups
• microsociology
• mesosociology
• sociological miniaturism
• social psychology
• sociometry