ts broadest fee, political sociology is concerned with the
relationship between politics and society. Its distinctiveness
within the social sciences lies in its acknowledgement that
political actors^ including 265* عpressure groups and social
movements••*•بھ زwithin •wider social context. Political
actors therefore inevitably shapef and 70 turn are shaped by,
social structures such as• مرھلھوetc. Such
social structures ensure that political influence within society
is unequal. It follows from this that •key concept in political
sociology is that power, where power  ئdefined as the
capacity to achieve one's objectives even when those
objectives are in conflict with the interests of another actor.
Political sociologists therefore Invariably return to the
following question ؛which individuals and groups in society
possess the capacity to pursue their interests, and how is this
power exercised and institutionalized