Definition and Concept

Radcliffe Brown defines social structure as “an

arrangement of persons in institutionally

controlled or defined relationships, (such as the

relationship of king and subject, or that of

husband and wife)”.

Morris Ginsberg regards social structure as

“the complex of principal groups and institutions

which constitute societies”.

Social Structure

Ogburn and Nimkoff are of the opinion that “In

society, the organization of a group of persons is

the social structure. What the group does is the

function”.

Many sociologists have used the term „social

structure‟ to refer to “the enduring, orderly and

patterned relationships between elements of a

society”.

Social Structure

The term „structure‟ refers to “some sort of

ordered arrangements of parts or components”

A musical composition, a sentence, a building, a

molecule or an animal have a structure.

Similarly, society too has its own structure called

„social structure‟.

The components or units of social structure are

“persons”.

Social Structure

According to H.M John, the main elements of social structure are as follows:

Subgroups of various types;

Roles of various types;

Regulative norms governing sub-groups and roles;

Cultural values (any one of these elements – a sub-group, a role, a social norm, or a value-may be called a

“partial structure”)

Social Structure

According to Radcliffe Brown, the parts of a

social structure are;

all social relations of person to person;

different social roles of individuals;

differentiated social positions

Social Structure

Émile Durkheim1958 - 1917

The word anomie comes

from the Greek root:

A = without

Nomos = law

The demise of traditional communities and the

disruption of norms, values, and a familiar way of life

were major concerns of nineteenth-century philosophers

and sociologists. Hence, the concept anomie was used

by early sociologists to describe changes in society

produced by the Industrial Revolution.

Anomie

Durkheim introduced the concept of

anomie as a basis of deviant behavior

Durkheim defined the term anomie as a condition

where social and/or moral norms are confused,

unclear, or simply not present. Durkheim felt that this

lack of norms or pre-accepted limits on behavior in a

society led to deviant behaviour.

∴ Anomie = Lack of Regulation/Breakdown of Norms

Anomie

Anomie refers to an environmental state where

society fails to exercise adequate regulation or

constraint over the goals and desires of its individual

members

Durkheim believed that anomie is common

when the surrounding society has undergone significant changes in its economic fortunes, whether for good or for worse and, more generally, when there is a significant discrepancy between the ideological theories and values commonly professed and what was actually achievable in everyday life.

Anomie is a breakdown of social norms and it is a condition where norms no longer control the activities of members in society.

Individuals cannot find their place in society without clear rules to help guide them. Changing conditions as well as adjustment of life leads to dissatisfaction, conflict, and deviance.

He observed that social periods of disruption leads to higher rates of suicide.

Anomie

Anomie

Robert King Merton also adopted the idea of anomie to develop

Strain Theory to explain deviant behavior, defining it as the

discrepancy between common social goals and the legitimate means

to attain those goals.

In other words, an individual suffering from anomie would strive to

attain the common goals of a specific society yet would not be able to

reach these goals legitimately because of the structural limitations in

society.

•As a result the individual would exhibit deviant behavior.

Anomie

Merton discussed deviance in terms of goals

and means as part of his strain/anomie

theory.

For Merton, anomie is the state in which

social goals and the legitimate means to

achieve them do not correspond.

According to Durkheim, anomie is a reaction against

or a retreat from the regulatory social controls of

society, and is a completely separate concept from

anarchy which is an absence of effective rulers or

leaders.

Anomie

Anarchy denotes lack of rulers,

hierarchy, and command

whereas

anomie denotes lack of rules,

structure, and organization.

A sociologist would define caste as a hereditary,

endogamous, usually localized group, having a

traditional association with an occupation, and a

particular position in the local hierarchy of castes.

Relations between castes are governed, among other

things, by the concepts of pollution and purity, and

generally, maximum commensality occurs within the

caste

CASTE

Caste in India

Jaati is the term used to denote communities and

sub-communities in India. It is a term used across

religions.

Early Indian texts like the Rigveda, Manusmriti and the Puranas

speak of 'Varna,' which means order, category, type, colour (of

things), and groups the human society into four main types as

follows

Brahmin-the class of educators, law makers, scholars and

preachers of Dharma in Hinduism.

Kshatriya - Warrior

Vaishya - merchants, artisans, and cultivators

Shudra - workers, farmers and service providers

CASTE

CASTE

In Durkheim's usage, anomie referred to a

situation in which cultural norms break down

because of rapid change.

Merton changes the concept slightly, to refer

to a situation in which there is an apparent

lack of fit between the culture's norms about

what constitutes success in life (goals) and

the culture's norms about the appropriate

ways to achieve those goals (means).

CASTE

Casteism leading to anomie

Different ways of following and interpreting existing norms-

no collective consciousness

State of norm-lessness in between normal and pathological

conditions

Anomie leading to casteism

Need to have a collective consciousness

Communalism is an ideology which states that society is

divided into religious communities whose interests differ and

are, at times even opposed to each other the antagonism

practiced by the people of one community against the people

of other community or religion can be termed “communalism”.

COMMUNALISM

Communalism

T.K.Oommen has suggested six dimensions of communalism:

1.Assimilationist: scheduled tribes are Hindus.

2.Welfarist: Parsi association working for the uplift of Parsis.

3.Retreatist: Bahai community.

4.Retaliatory.

5.Separatist: Bodos in Assam, Gorkhas in west Bengal.

6.Secessionist: Sikh population demanding for Khalistan.

COMMUNALISM

Hindu – Muslim Communalism.

Md. Ghazni & Md. Gori. : looting.

Qutubdin: first sultan of Delhi, religious dominance.

After Second World War:

“Unity from top”: Congress party.

1942 Muslim league came as strong party.

M.A. Jinna: congress is a Hindu body.

1940: slogan of Pakistan by Muslim League.

1946: creation of Pakistan.

1992-93: Ramjanam Bhoomi-babri Masjid issue.

Hindu - Sikh Communalism.

1. Akalis: wanted the shrines to be by a body of democratically elected

representative…. SGPC came into existence in 1925.

2. Nirankari: reformist movement against the induction of Hindu religious practices

in the Sikh system of worship.

3. Militant group: led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale started a Sikh separatist

movement and began a demand for separate state of KHALISTAN.

1984: Operation Blur Star.

1984, October: Operation Black Thunder.

COMMUNALISM

Features of communal riots:

1.Politically motivated than fuelled by religion.

2.Besides political interest, economic interest too plays a vigorous part.

3.More common in north India than south and east India.

4.Most communal riots take place on the occasion of religious festivals.

5.The use of deadly weapons in the riots is on the ascendancy.

COMMUNALISM

Theories of communal violence.communal violence is a collective violence. When a large section of

people in the community fail to achieve their collective goals, or feel

that they are being discriminated against and deprived of equal

opportunities, they feel frustrated and disillusioned and this collective

frustration leads to collective violence.

1. Social Barriers Theory.

2. Theory of polarisation and Cluster Effect.

Theories of communal violence.

Communal violence is a collective violence. When a large section of

people in the community fail to achieve their collective goals, or feel

that they are being discriminated against and deprived of equal

opportunities, they feel frustrated and disillusioned and this collective

frustration leads to collective violence.

1. Social Barriers Theory.

2. Theory of polarisation and Cluster Effect.

COMMUNALISM

The G4 Team

PUNYASIL RAJNA MEHRA

RAVI RANJAN RIKA GUITE

RITU RAJ RUPESH SHERSHTA

SACHIN SAKSHI LAMBA

SANGEETHA SARITHA

SATYA PRIYA SHAHBAZ

SHAIJU CHACKO