Question#1

How do you see Ethnocentrism and Norms (all components) as contributing factors in Cultural
Diffusion in Pakistani Society? Share your own understanding precisely in 250 – 300 words. (3
Marks)

Ethnocentrism is the view that one’s culture is superior to other cultures and they people view
other cultures as a deviation from what they consider normal. The ethnocentrism that is observed
in Pakistan is in earlier days women used to dress in a particular traditional way which was
considered as good and modest. So, people used to dislike the Western culture in which the
women had other ways of dressing. Norms are the rules and expectation maintained by a society.
Social norms are enforced formally and people who do not follow there norms are characterized
as deviants and are considered an outcast. The other components of norms are folkways in which
its violation raises little concern but the person is not considered a criminal, mores are considered
as much stronger norms in which its violation can lead to severe punishment, and laws are the
formalized version of norms in which the government, courts and state is involved. Informal
laws are not recorded but are generally understood such as dress codes. Cultural diffusion is the
spread of social activities of one culture spread into different cultures. Ethnocentrism and Norms
as contributing factors in Cultural Diffusion in Pakistani Society like the way of dressing has
changed over the year and has now become more westernized which was earlier considered as a
threat to us. Another example is the celebration of other religious festivities such as Christmas,
Holi etc., before they were celebrated by the particular religious groups but now it’s celebrated
all over Pakistan.

Question#2

Shed light on how you see any two types of social process reflected in Pakistan as a society?
Max 200 words (2 marks)

Social process the manner in which the people interact and establish social relationship, it is a
dynamic aspect of a society. There are four types of social process which include exchange in
which reward is expected, cooperation is when people work together to achieve shared goals,
competition in which people struggle over scarce resource peacefully , and conflict in which a
struggle over scarce resources which often involve violence or threat of violence.

Cooperation
As Pakistan is a multicultural society in which people from all different type of religion and sects live
together. An example of cooperation can be seen as we study in an institution, we share the same space
working for the same goal with the people of other religion and cultures such as Hindus and Christians.
We cooperate with them to meet or goals.

Competition
We are in a constant competition with other people. As resources are scarce so people constantly have
to struggle to achieve their objective. People compete for power, name, fame, glory, status, money,
luxuries and other things which are not easily available. In our country there are normally more people
who want jobs than there are jobs available; hence there is competition for them. The competitors are
not in contact and do not know one another. They do not compete with each other on a personal level.
The attention of all the competitors is fixed on the goal or the reward they aim at. So in this type of
social process there is no threat of violence and it is generally a peaceful process.