SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Abstract

URRENT use of the terms, social organization and social structure, in social science writings indicates uncertainty as to the meaning of either term. Writers alternate in their use of these terms in the same paragraph. This can be confirmed by reference to works on sociological concepts or to writings in the field of social anthropology.' I t is the purpose of this article to suggest more precise definitions of these terms and to propose a method for the systematic analysis of these concepts. The following distinction is suggested for the terms, social organization and social structure: social organization refers to the systems of obligationrelations which exist among and between the groups constituting a given society, while social structure refers to the placement and position of individuals and of groups within that system of obligation-relations.2 It is the contention of this paper that the use of either term in analysis of social phenomena should take place within this dual conceptual framework, and that the difference between these terms is primarily one of approach and emphasis. Thus, a description of the social organization of American society would stress the nature and functioning of obligation-relations as these operate among the various groups constituting this society. On the other hand, an analysis of the social structure of this society would describe the position of the numerous groups in this social order with reference to each other as manifested in the system of familial, economic, political, religious and socialclass obligation-relations which obtains a t any given time.