Class 12 Sociology [Chapter – 3]

Social Institutions :
Continuity and change
Lecture by: Sudhanshu [ Alumni BHU ]

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1 What is Social institution?
Definition

 Social institutions are the established patterns

of beliefs, behaviors and relationships that
organize social life.

Types of Social Institution

Caste Tribe Family and

Kinship
2 Caste in Past
Origin of term
 Derived from the Portuguese word
'casta' which means pure breed.
 It also means a group/community of
people
 In Indian context, it is referred by two
distinct terms i.e. Varna and Jatis
Varna
 It refers to a four fold division of society
 Brahmanas, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra etc.
 It excludes a significant population of outcastes
i.e. foreigners, forest dwellers (nishad), slaves
 Jatis

 Jati is a generic term

 Refers to species or kinds of anything,
ranging from inanimate objects to plants,
animals and human beings.
 Jati is the word most commonly used to refer
to the institution of caste in Indian languages

Varna Jatis

 All India aggregative  Regional or local sub-

Classification classification
 Origin in Vedic Period  Origin in Early Historic Period
 Four in numbers  Thousands in number
 Fixed hierarchy  Variable hierarchy
 Features of Caste

 Ascribed Status - It is a ascribed status or determined

by birth
 Endogamous - Caste groups are endogamous i.e.
marriage is allowed in the same caste
 Caste membership also involves rules about food and
food-sharing
 Hierarchy- It is system of hierarchy which may vary
from region to region
 Further Divisions - Caste also has sub division among
themselves, then these sub-divisions have sub-sub-
divisions
 Castes are traditionally linked to the occupations
 Unequal Institution - It was an unequal institution,
some caste benefitted a lot while other suffered.
 Functioning Principle of Caste System

Difference and Wholism and

Separation Hierarchy

 Each caste is supposed to be  Castes are interdependent/

different from one another
 Scriptural rules are designed to
prevent mixing of castes
 For example- rules of marriage,
occupations etc.
complementary to one another
 A society must have totality of castes
 This wholistic system is hierarchical
 Basis of Hierarchical Order

Purity and
Pollution Material Power

 All the activities are ordered on the  Those who were in power tend to be of
basis of sacredness i.e. Purity high status
 Ranking of castes are based on the  Those who were weak, were assigned
purity of activities they perform low status i.e. Nishad, Slaves
1. Which of the following statement about 2. Assertion (A) – Castes are thousands in numbers
caste is true? Reason (R) – Caste have Variable Hierarchy

A. It is a ascribed status A. Both A and R are correct, R is the

correct explanation of A
B. It has fixed hierarchy
B. Both A and R are correct, R is not
C. It is generally exogamous the correct explanation of A

D. Castes are independent C. A is correct, R is incorrect

of each other
D. R is correct, A is incorrect
3 Colonialism and Caste

 When British started governing India, they were

shocked by two things -
 Number of Castes and Sub-castes
 Situation of low castes and Untouchables

Initiatives Taken

Census

Organization of lower castes

into SCs and STs
 Organization of Lower
Census
castes
 It helped in making sure the number and  GOI Act of 1935, organized the lower
sizes of castes castes in group of SCs and STs
 First decennial Census was done in 1881  This was done to look after and uplift
the position of lower caste.
 Census of 1901

 It was conducted under direction of

Herbert Risley Note – Lower castes or the downtrodden
 Collected and published information of were also referred as depressed class.
social order of castes
 Impacts
• Hundreds of petitions were made by
representatives of different castes
claiming higher order
• After this official display, caste hierarchy
became more rigid
3. Who among the following directed the 4. _________ recognized the list of the lowers
Indian census of 1901? castes into SCs and STs.

A. C Wright Mills A. Act of 1919

B. Herbert Spencer B. Act of 1909

C. Herbert Risley C. Act of 1891

D. None of the above D. Act of 1935

 4 Caste in the Present

How the castes were organized? Role of caste in National Struggle

 After 1850s, efforts to organize depressed  Organization of castes helped in

classes begun mobilization of Nationalist
 Efforts were made from upper caste movement
progressive reformers as well as lower  People from all caste participated in
caste leaders national movement
 Major reformers- Gandhi, Periyar,
Babasaheb Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule etc
 Leaders like Gandhi and Babasaheb
protested against untouchability.
 Anti-untouchability programmes became a
significant part of the Congress agenda
 Caste in Post-Independence India

Impact of constitutional Methods Impact of urbanization

 Equal treatment of all castes by
government, no discrimination on the
basis of caste and creed
 Reservations granted to depressed
classes
 Collective living in the cities made it difficult for
the caste based segregation to survive.
 Modern educated Indians attracted to the liberal
ideas of individualism and meritocracy,

Impact of industrial development  They began to abandon the more extreme caste
practices.

 Modern industries created all kind of

jobs for which there were no caste
roles
 Impact on Cultural aspects Impact on Politics

 Practice of marriage remained  Caste remained central to electoral

unaffected politics
 Marriages were mostly endogamous  Since 1980s, many caste based political
parties emerged
 E.g. BSP, SP, RJD etc.

 Did caste Vanish in post independence India?

Ans- Absolutely not.
 Though modern Industry created casteless jobs,
but middlemen tend to recruit people from their
own castes
 Untouchability was not entirely absent from cities
 Caste became a central part of Politics
 Cultural aspects of caste remained unchanged
5. Find the odd one - 6. Choose the incorrect statement

A. M N Srinivas A. Post independence, reservation was

granted to depressed classes
B. Periyar
B. It was very difficult to for untouchables to
C. Mahatma Gandhi live in cities

D. Sri Narayana Guru C. Since 1980s, caste has almost become

invisible from politics

D. Both b and c
 Sanskritization

What is Sanskritization? Advantages of Sanskritization

 It refers to a process whereby members of a  Better standard of living

(usually middle or lower) caste attempt to  Improved social status
raise their own social status by adopting
the ritual, domestic and social practices of a
higher caste (usually Brahmins) Disadvantages of Sanskritization

 Erosion of culture
Examples of Sankritization  Sense of inferiority complex
 It’s only a positional change not
structural change
 Adoption of vegetarianism by lower
caste
 Adoption of dowry system by lower
castes
 Adoption of sacred thread or Twice born
 Dominant caste
What is dominant caste?
 Castes which has
• Large Population
• Control over resources i.e. Land etc.
 In pre independent India, upper castes
were the dominant caste
 Because mostly resources were
controlled by them only
 But after Independence, intermediate
caste became dominant.
Impact of Land Reforms
 Due to land reforms, upper castes lost
control over Land rights.
 It was then given to the middlemen who
used to manage the agricultural production
 These middlemen came from intermediate
castes i.e. Yadavas of UP and Bihar, Jats of
Punjab and Haryana, Patidars of Gujarat,
Reddys of Andhra
 Due to their large population and control
over land resources, they became the
dominant caste
 Change of attitude towards Caste
In Upper caste/ Urban
middle/upper class
 Caste has became invisible for the new
generation
 1st and 2nd generation took full advantage of
job opportunities, subsidized education,
healthcare etc
 Eventually they started believing, caste has
very less to do with their advancement
 Hence, for the new generation role of caste
is limited to marriages and kinships
In Lower castes
 Didn’t inherit any educational or
economic capital
 Caste identity is like an asset for them
 It is needed to avail the reservation and
other state protection policies against
discrimination.
 Hence, Caste became all-important for
them
7. Which of the following is an example of 8. Assertion (A) – After independence, intermediate
sanskritization? caste became dominant
Reason (R) – Land rights were granted to them
during land reforms

A. Adopting Vegetarianism A. Both A and R are correct, R is the

correct explanation of A
B. Adopting dowry system
B. Both A and R are correct, R is not the
C. Adopting sacred thread correct explanation of A

D. All of the above C. A is correct, R is incorrect

D. R is correct, A is incorrect
5 Tribal Communities
Who are tribes? Classification of tribes

 ‘Tribe’ is a modern term for communities  Tribes are classified on the basis of
that are very old, being among the oldest
 Permanent traits –Traits which
inhabitants of the sub-continent
are there in tribe from beginning
 Acquired Traits – Traits which
 Indian tribes don’t have-
have changed over the time
 Religion with written text
 Sharp class division
 Modern political form
 Permanent Traits
Population
 85% of tribal population lives in middle
India
 11% tribal population lives in North
Eastern States
 In most North eastern states except
Assam, tribes form more than 30% of
the total population
Ecological Habitats
 They live in hills, plains, rural plains and
urban industrial areas.
Languages
 Indo-Aryan – 1% of tribes speak this
 Darvidian – 3% of tribe speak this
 Austric- 100% of this language
speakers are tribe
 Tibeto-Burman- 80% of this language
speakers are tribe
 Physical Racial
Identities

 Classified under Negrito, Australoid,

Mongoloid, Dravidian and Aryan
categories

Size of Population

 It ranges from seven million to some

hundreds Andamanese Islanders
 Biggest tribes are, Gonds, Bhils, Santhals,
Oraons, Minas, Bodos and Mundas
 Each of these tribes have over 1 million
population
 As per Census of 2011, Tribes are 8.6% of the
total population of India
 In numbers, this is around 10 crores
 Acquired Traits

Livelihood Assimilation in Hindu Society

 They work as fishermen, food  Degree of Assimilation can be seen

gatherers and hunters, shifting from the POV of tribes and POV of
cultivators, peasants and plantation mainstream Hindu Society
and industrial workers
 From Point of View of Tribes

 Attitude towards Hindu society is a

major classification criteria

 From Point of View of mainstream Hindu Society

 Can be classified in terms of status

accorded to them
 In reality, most tribe are given lower status
9. Find the odd one out - 10. Choose the incorrect statement.

A. Gond A. In most North eastern states, Tribes

constitute more than 30% of their
B. Bhil population

C. Brahmin B. Most Tribes speak Indo-Aryan

Language
D. Munda
C. Most tribes are granted low status
after assimilation in Hinduism

D. None of the above

6 Caste-Tribe Distinction
Beginning of Debate Basis of distinction

 There were two opinions -  Size of population

 Mode of occupation
 1st – Tribes are the extension of  Concept of social division
caste based peasant society  Isolationism
 Religion
 2nd – Tribes are different as they
do not have notion of purity and
pollution.
Counter arguments against Assimilation in Hindu
distinction Society

 Some tribes are not isolated and  They were assimilated through two
spread over large areas i.e. Santhals, ways
Gonds, Bhills • Sanskritization
 Some tribes do settled agriculture i.e. • Acculturation
Munda, Hos
 On the other hand, few established  This assimilation was seen as either
caste have adopted the occupation of natural or exploitative by different
tribes like hunting, fishing etc. schools of sociology

Ideology of tribalism
 Tribalism refers to a concept when the
tribal groups begin to define themselves
as tribals in order to distinguish
themselves from the newly encountered
others.
 This has happened because of
exploitative and colonialist contact
between Pre existing states i.e. British
and non state groups like tribals.
Were tribes always isolated
and oppressed?
 There were several Gond kingdoms in
Central India such as that of Garha
Mandla, or Chanda
 In Rajasthan, many tribes were part of
Rajput Military setup
 Adivasis often exercised dominance over
the plains people through their capacity to
raid them.
11. Which of the following statement is
correct?
A. Tribes constitute less than 5% of
Indian Population
B. In Rajasthan many tribes were
part of Military set up
A. Tribes have always done shifting
cultivation
B. None of the above
12. Assertion (A) – Tribes were not always
oppressed and exploited
Reason (R) – There were several Gond kingdoms in
Central India such as that of Garha Mandla, or
Chanda
A. Both A and R are correct, R is the
correct explanation of A
B. Both A and R are correct, R is not the
correct explanation of A
C. A is correct, R is incorrect
D. R is correct, A is incorrect
7 National Development vs Tribal Development

Colonialism Period Post Independence

 British started exploiting forests which  Building of large dams, factories and
was the home and source of occupation mines have adversely affected Tribal
for Tribals
 This has led to dispossession of many
 Their community based property i.e. tribal settlements
farms, forests became either government
or private property
 In-migration of Non-tribals

 Heavy in-migration of non-tribals is

threat to tribal culture and identity

 Industrial development in Jharkhand

has resulted into dilution of tribal
culture

 In Tripura, tribal population has

decreased by 50% between 2000-
2011

 This fear is becoming common among

North-Eastern states
8 Tribal Identity Today
Positive Achievements Major challenges

 Statehood for Jharkhand and  Limited civil rights (specially in NE

Chattisgarh, Uttarakhand states)
 Crime and violence (Jharkhand and
 Emergence of Educated and Chattisgarh)
urbanized middle class  Political Control

Basis of tribal movements

 Control over vital economic resources

 Matter of ethnic-cultural identity
13. Which of the following state was created 14. Which of the following statement is incorrect?
on the basis of tribal demands?

A. Chattisgarh A. Post independence, Government of India

has continuously ensured the welfare of
B. Telangana tribes

C. Haryana B. Industrial development in Jharkhand has

resulted into dilution of tribal culture
D. None of the above
C. In-Migration of non tribals in North eastern
states is a serious concern for tribes

D. None of the above

8 Kinship and Families
What is Family? What is Kinship

 A group of people who are either  It is a relationship shared

related by blood, or adoption or through ancestral ties
marriage  It is possible that two kinsmen
 It is a smallest unit of society can be unknown to each other
 Each member of a family are
known to each other
 The family (the private sphere) is
linked to the economic, political,
cultural, and educational (the
public) spheres
 Classification of Families
On basis of size On basis of Residence

I. Nuclear family – Parents and I. Matrilocal – couple stays with

Children woman’s parents. E.g. Few
II. Joint or extended family- More communities of Kerala
than 2 generation living together II. Patrilocal – Couple stays with
Man’s parents.

On basis of Inheritance

I. Matrilineal – Pass on of property

from mother to daughter
II. Patrilineal– Pass on of property
from Father to son
 On basis of Authority

I. Patriarchal– Male exercise

authority
II. Matriarchal- Female exercise
authority and dominance

Matriliny Matriarchy

 Property is passed on from  Property is distributed among

mother to daughter
 Control is generally with
males
 It existed in past i.e. Khasi
community of Meghalaya
sons and daughter
 Female head exercise authority
 It rarely existed in past
15. In which of the following culture, 16. In _______, property is distributed among
matriliny was followed? daughters only?

A. Bengali Brahmins A. Patriliny

B. Jats of Rajasthan B. Matriarchy

C. Vaishya of UP C. Matriliny

D. Khasi of Meghalaya D. Patriarchy

 THANK YOU
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