SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIOLOGY: The Alpha and Omega

By Prof. Dr. Halimu Shauri

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and omega is the last. Thus, the phrase “alpha and the omega” means the beginning and the end. 

This is exactly what is suggested in the titles of two books: Social Problems and Sociology

The book on Social Problems is where all it begins, and the book with the title Sociology is where all it ends. 

Apparently, many people, including hard and soft scientists, don’t see this logic.

Even governments have been blinded and don’t see this reality.

Today, as I was taking my black coffee in the house, a miracle happened. I just felt like looking at my glass book shelf in the living room.

Guess what? My eyes were glued on the two books, and the way they were arranged, with social problems coming first and sociology next, I wondered in my mind what message this portend.

Quickly, my interpretative faculties relayed a message of Alpha and Omega.

After careful reflection, I told my daughter to take me a picture holding the two books and in my mind I was clear I wanted to tell the world that we have been missing the point of late in many solutions to our everyday challenges.

I want to challenge you now to:

“Tell me any development, technology, innovation, initiative, etc, that does not include social aspects of life in solving human problems?”

I would want to say without fear of contradiction that almost all the problems the world is facing are social problems, and this is the alpha. 

Similarly, the solutions to our social problems lie first in the Omega, Sociology. This makes the two in development discourse as the Alpha and the Omega.

All the other disciplines and professions are tools to help provide solutions.  

As the other disciplines and professions struggle to look for solutions, they must begin from understanding our behaviours, relationships, perceptions, attitudes, cultures, and interactions, which is sociology. 

No successful development initiative will have ignored the very sociological issues of the people it wants to develop.

Problems of global warming, climate change, food insecurity, underdevelopment, poor health, environmental degradation, etc, are social and hence require a sociological understanding and analysis before solutions are sought and implemented. 

Finally, if the problem is affecting the people, then it is logical that you have a dialogue with the people to get their buy-in and ownership of the proposed solutions. 

The voice of those in need of development must be heard in any attempt to rescue them from the social problem afflicting them.

Many solutions to social problems have also been crafted in the laboratory, field demonstrations, boardrooms spaces without due regard or consideration to the input of those affected and who would be end users of the science, technology or innovations.

I end by saying:

“The absence of inclusion of the owners of social problems to the development agenda is actually our underdeveloped crisis.

— Writer is Dean and Consultant Sociologist Pwani University