INDIAN SOCIETY AND SOCIAL CHANGE - University of Calicut

INDIAN SOCIETY AND

SOCIAL CHANGE

BA SOCIOLOGY

V SEMESTER

CORE COURSE 2011 ADMISSION

UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT

SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

CALICUT UNIVERSITY P.O. MALAPPURAM, KERALA, INDIA - 673 635

282

School of Distance Education

UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT

SCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATION

BA SOCIOLOGY

V SEMESTER

CORE COURSE INDIAN SOCIETY AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Prepared by:

MODULE I & IV

MODULE II & III

: Smt.Licy A.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Carmel College, Mala

: Dr.Mahesh.C.

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Z.G. College, Kozhikode.

Scrutinised by:

Dr.N.P.Hafiz Mohamad,

`Manasam', Harithapuram Chevayur, Kozhikode-673 017

Lay out & Printing Computer Section, SDE

Indian Society and Social Change

? Reserved

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INDEX

MODULE I FEATURES OF INDIAN SOCIETY

5

MODULE II FAMILY, MARRIAGE AND KINSHIP

15

MODULE III RELIGIONS, CASTE AND CLASS IN INDIA 38

MODULE IV EDUCATION AND ECONOMY IN INDIAN

73

SOCIETY

Indian Society and Social Change

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Indian Society and Social Change

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MODULE 1

FEATURES OF INDIAN SOCIETY

1.1 Features of Indian Society- Rural

Among the earliest human groups, gathering was the main source of food. Gradually man acquired the skill and knowledge in agriculture. With the development of agriculture, people began to lead a settled life and human communities became more stationary. The emergence of village signified that man has passed from nomadic mode of collective life to the settled one. India is a land of villages. A great majority of villages are small with only around five hundred population each. Mahatma Gandhi's view that India lives in villages still holds good, at least from the demographic point of view.

The village social life has its own peculiar characteristics. The village social life norms strengthen the authoritarian and hierarchical norms in administration. The village social life, which is based on the hierarchical exchange relations greatly influence the behavior of civil servants in public organizations. Sociologists think that for defining an Indian village, its population, physical structure, and modes of production are definitely important. Usually, a village has less than five thousand individuals.

It is rightly said `India is a country of villages'. Agriculture is the main occupation of the Indians and majority of people in India live in the villages. Our villages help in strengthening our social bonds and bringing stability to our society in many ways. Our villages also help our society in another way namely that of preserving our culture.

The Indian rural society has undergone considerable change in the recent past, particularly since the Independence as a result of a series of the land reform legislations that have accelerated the pace of this change. India has a rich cultural heritage and is a land of diversities. The diversity in social life is reflected in multi-social, multi-lingual, multi- religious and multi-caste nature of the society. The important features of the Indian social structure are- predominant rural habitation in small villages; multi-religious and multi-caste social identities and important role of family in the social life.

In recent years, the communal organisations have become very active in social life resulting in communal clashes in different parts of the country. The villages form the units of the Rural Society. These rural societies have their own structure. The structure formed out of the following units:- 1) Family 2) Caste System 3) Internal Organisation 4) Religion 5) Economic System.

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