This book covers courses prescribed in Indian Universities in Sociology for the papers : Principles of Sociology; Essentials of Sociology; Fundamentals of Sociology etc. Meant to serve as a textbook it discusses all the essentials and leaves out those topics which are irrelevant. Thus, it is at once concise, relevant and also detailed and exhaustive. It deals with social phenomena; society, social institutions and associations; communities, groups and factors determining these. It includes social change, social control and social processes. While its subject-matter has been drawn from standard books published in the West, it has been discussed in Indian setting. While its method of presentation is analytic, it has adopted holistic and integral approach on controversial issues. With actual university questions at the end of each chapter, this book intends to deliver first division at the examination.

DR. RAJENDRA K. SHARMA M.A., M. Phil, Ph.D., U.G.C. Research Fellow; Ph.D., LMI: Indian Sociological Society and Uttar Pradesh Samaj Shashtra Parishad. He is the author of dozens of papers and books in sociology both in Hindi and English. Dr. Sharma has utilised his vast experience of teaching sociology to University students for presenting ideal textbooks on almost all the papers taught in this subject at Indian Universities.