IGNOU New Syllabus

1. BSOC-132 : SOCIOLOGY OF INDIA
Tutor Marked Assignments
Course Code: BSOC-132
Assignment Code: ASST /TMA /July 2019 & January 2020
Total Marks: 100
Assignment A
Answer the following Descriptive Category questions in about 500 words each. Each
question carries 20 marks. 2 x 20 = 40
1. Describe the elements of unity and diversity in India.
Answer- ​Elements of Unity in Diversity in India - ​In spite of the bewildering diversity in
geographical features, race, religion and language of the people, there is a deep underlying
fundamental unity in Indian Culture. This unity had undoubtedly been nurtured in recent times
by a uniform system of administration and spread of education. But this ideal of unity in India is
not a recent growth. The founders of the Indian culture and civilization tried to instill a sense of
unity in different walk of life and culture of the people.
Geographical Elements - The conception of India's inherent unity has been developed through
the ages on the basis of undivided India stretching from Kashmir to Kanyakumari as a single
country. Its unity is writ large on its map. India has been planned by nature as an undisputed
geographical unit sharply isolated from the world outside by natural boundaries. The first
expression given to this unity was the description of the entire land by the single name of
'Bharatvarsha'.
Racial Elements - India has a great power of fusion and assimilation. Innumerable number of
tribes and races coming to India were all absorbed in the broad cultural mainstream of the
country. The founders of Indian culture never taught as racial discrimination or hatred and
instead propagated the ideal of unity of mankind. Racial diversity gave a variety to Indian
culture, which is its unique feature.
Linguistic Elements - Side by side with this linguistic variety operates the unifying influence of
Sanskrit, the mother of most of the Indian languages. Sanskrit has been acknowledged as the
one sacred language by all sections of the people irrespective of their race, rank or creed. Most
of the Indian languages have ben influence by Sanskrit, which may be regarded as a 'mother
language' of India. What Sanskrit had done in the past, the English and Hindi languages are
trying to do now.
Religious Elements - There has been an under-current of religious unity among the various
religious sects in the country. The basic unity of all religions has been the main theme of the
Indian preachers, philosophers and thinkers, and therefore, religious diversity has prospered
under the cover of basic unity. The concept of 'One in Many' and of universal morality as
essence of religion have provided the essence of religious unity.
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2. A permanent and characteristically Indian expression of his religious unit is the network of
shrines and sacred places with which the country has been covered. The concept of pilgrimage
was perfected as an expression of love for the motherland and as a means of acquiring an
intimate knowledge of the land of ancient times.
Social Elements - The fundamental basis of the social life of the whole country is common. The
concept of the joint family, although essentially a feature of Hindu society became a common
feature of the Indian social life. The social values, festivals, special ceremonies, modes of live,
etc. are also common to all the communities and sects.
Political Elements - The rulers of India tried to establish their way over the whole country and
fostered its unity. The term 'Ekrat' is more significant as applying to "kings ruling over the whole
country". The geographical conception of the identity and individually of the country in all its
vastness and variety led to the attainment of its political unification under various sovereigns.
The concept of united India, both as a geographical and political unit, has received highest
attention of the Indian people and they have been conscious of maintaining the unity of India.
Cultural Elements - A peculiar type of culture utterly different from any other type in the world
has been evolved among the diverse communities in India. This culture has a fundamental
unity. Inspite of different languages, customs, political disunity and geographical impediments, a
uniform cultural stamp was printed upon the literature and thoughts of all the different units of
India. There has been a basic unity of literary ideas, philosophy, conventions and outlook of the
people throughout the country. There has been close socio-cultural cooperation among the
followers of different creeds and communities. Instances of their close friendship are abundant.
Indian art, literature and music have greatly helped in strengthening this cultural unity. The
composite culture of India is a living example of her fundamental cultural unity.
Thus inspite of its astounding diversity, India is herself an living example of the doctrine of one
in many. There is a profound unity in diversity - a unity far more strong and deep-rooted than
that crate by geographical isolation or political suzerainty - "a unity that transcends the
innumerable diversities of blood, colour, language, dress, manners and sects".
2. What is the meaning of tribe? Discuss the major characteristics associated with tribes
in India.
Answer- The word “Tribe” is derived from the Latin word “Tribus” meaning “one third”. The
word originally referred to one of the three territorial groups that united to form Rome. Romans
applied the word “tribus” to the 35 people who became a part of Rome before 241 B.C.
They also called the conquered Gallic or Germanic populations tribus. Originally a tribe was
simply a territorially defined social group. The Romans identified tribe as a political unit that had
a distinct name, occupied a common territory, and had a common leadership.
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3. A tribe is a social group, which occupies a definite area. It is characterized by cultural
homogeneity and a unifying social organization. The identity and culture of tribes are closely
linked to the natural resources and the environment in which they live.
major characteristics associated with tribes in India ​- distinctive features of the Indian
Tribes.
1. Definite Common Topography:
Tribal people live within a definite topography and it is a common place for all the members of a
particular tribe occupying that region.
In the absence of a common but definite living place, the tribals will lose other characteristics of
a tribal life, like common language, way of living and community sentiment etc.
2. Sense of Unity:
Unless and until, a group living in a particular area and using that area as a common residence,
does not possess the sense of unity, it cannot be called a tribe. Sense of unity is an invariable
necessity for a true tribal life. The very existence of a tribe depends upon the tribal’s sense of
unity during the times of peace and war.
3. Endogamous Group:
Tribal people generally do not marry outside their tribe and marriage within the tribe is highly
appreciated and much applauded. But the pressing effects of changes following the forces of
mobility have also changed the attitude of tribals and now, inter-tribe marriages are becoming
more and more common.
4. Common Dialect:
Members of a tribe exchange their views in a common dialect. This element further strengthens
their sense of unity.
5. Ties of Blood-relationship:
Blood-relation is the greatest bond and most powerful force inculcating sense of unity among
the tribals.
6. Protection Awareness:
Tribal people always need protection from intrusion and infiltration and for this a single political
authority is established and all the powers are vested in this authority. The safety of the tribal is
left to the skill and mental power of the person enjoying political authority. The tribal chief is
aided by a tribal committee, in the events of contingencies. Tribe is divided into a number of
small groups and each group is headed by its own leader. The chief of a group works according
to the directives received by him from the tribal chief.
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4. 7. Distinct Political Organization:
Every tribe has its own distinct political organisation which looks after the interests of tribal
people. The whole political authority lies in the hands of a tribal chief. In some tribes, tribal
committees exist to help the tribal chief in discharging his functions in the interests of the tribe.
8. Common Culture:
Common culture of a tribe springs out from the sense of unity, common language, common
religion, common political organisation. Common culture produces a life of homogeneity among
the tribals.
9. Importance of Kinship:
Kinship forms the basis of tribal social organization. Most tribes are divided into exogamous
clans and lineages. The marriage among tribals is based on the rule of tribal endogamy.
Marriage is viewed as a contract and there are no prohibition on divorce and remarriage.
10. Egalitarian Values:
The tribal social organization is based on the egalitarian principle. Thus there are no
institutionalized inequalities like the caste system or sex based inequalities. Thus men and
women enjoyed equal status and freedom. However some degrees of social inequality may be
found in case of tribal chiefs or tribal kings who enjoy a higher social status, exercise political
power and posses wealth.
11. Rudimentary type of Religion:
Tribes believe in certain myths and a rudimentary type of religion.
Further, they believe in totems signifying objects having mystic relationship with members of the
tribe.
Robert Goodland has given the following characteristics of the tribal people:
(a) Geographical isolation or semi-isolation;
(b) Unacculturated or partially acculturated into national society;
(c) Largely or entirely independent of the national economic system;
(d) Ethnic distinctiveness from the national society;
(e) Economic base tightly dependent on their, specific environment;
(f) Possessing leadership but no more national representation, and few, if any political rights.
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5. Assignment B
Answer the following Short Category questions in about 250 words each. Each question
carries 10 marks. 3 x 10 = 30
3. Define Caste. Discuss the attributional approach to the study of caste in India.
Answer- ​Caste - Caste is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary
transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and
customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultural notions of purity and pollution. Its
paradigmatic ethnographic example is the division of India's Hindu society into rigid social
groups, with roots in India's ancient history and persisting to the present time. However, the
economic significance of the caste system in India has been declining as a result of urbanization
and affirmative action programs. A subject of much scholarship by sociologists and
anthropologists, the Hindu caste system is sometimes used as an analogical basis for the study
of caste-like social divisions existing outside Hinduism and India. The term "caste" is also
applied to morphological groupings in female populations of ants and bees.
Attributional approach to study of caste - The attributional approach for studying caste
system is that the people can understand the root and features of the entire caste system by
this approach. The caste system is generally based on a hierarchy in India.
The hierarchy is created on verifying the birth, traditions and customs followed by the people in
the society. The attributional approach describes the qualities of the caste system.
Ghurye wrote in the 1930's and considered that each caste was separated from the other in a
hierarchical order. This ordering sprang legitimately from its attributes of a caste. These were'
i) Segmental Division. Thus membership to a caste group is acquired by birth and with it comes
the position in the rank order relative to other castes.
ii) Hierarchy. Following from the above society was arranged h rank orders, or relations of
superiority or inferiority. Thus Brahmins were accepted as highest in the hierarchy and
untouchables at the very bottom.
iii) Caste Restrictions. These were placed on every caste which gave permission to its members
only to interact with particular groups of people. This included its dress, speech, customs, rituals
and from who they could accept food. The system was geared
to maintain purity of the group members, hence of the caste group itself.
iv) Caste Pollution. In this idea the whole effort of a caste was to avoid contamination from
polluting objects (those involved unclean occupations, or of the lowest caste). This shunning of
pollution is reflected in the residential separation of the caste groups.
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6. V) Taditional Occupation. Ghurye felt that every caste had a traditional occupation the clean
castes had clean occupations whereas the unclean and impure caste had defiling ones.
vi) Endogamy. This trait of the castes was very distinct and essential to keeping it together as a
group that maintained its own distinct character.
Thus these six attributes Ghurye sought to define the process by which a caste group
maintained its caste identity.
4. Describe briefly the marriage patterns found in India.
Answer- Weddings in India vary according to the region, the religion, the community and the
personal preferences of the bride and groom. They are festive occasions in India, and in most
cases celebrated with extensive decorations, colour, music, dance, costumes and rituals that
depend on the community, region and religion of the bride and the groom, as well as their
preferences. India celebrates about 10 million weddings per year, of which about 80% are Hindu
weddings.
While there are many festival-related rituals in Hinduism, vivaah (wedding) is the most extensive
personal ritual an adult Hindu undertakes in his or her life. Typical Hindu families spend
significant effort and financial resources to prepare and celebrate weddings. The rituals and
process of a Hindu wedding vary depending on region of India, local adaptations, resources of
the family and preferences of the bride and the groom. Nevertheless, there are a few key rituals
common in Hindu weddings – Kanyadaan, Panigrahana, and Saptapadi; these are respectively,
gifting away of daughter by the father, voluntarily holding hand near the fire to signify impending
union, and taking seven steps before fire with each step including a set of mutual vows. After
the seventh step and vows of Saptapadi, the couple is legally husband and wife. Jain and
Buddhist weddings in India, share many themes, but are centered around their respective
religious ideas and texts.
Sikhs get married through a ceremony called Anand Karaj, a ritual started by the third leader of
Sikhism, Guru Amar Das. The couple walk around the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib four
times. Indian Muslims celebrate a traditional Islamic wedding following customs similar to those
practiced in the Middle East. The rituals include Nikah, payment of financial dower called Mahr
by the groom to the bride, signing of marriage contract, and a reception. Indian Christian
weddings follow customs similar to those practiced in the Christian countries in the West in
states like Goa but have more Indian customs in other states.
In the past, the age of marriage was young. The average age of marriage for women in India
has increased to 21 years, according to 2011 Census of India. In 2009, about 7% of women got
married before the age of 18. Arranged marriages have long been the norm in Indian society.
Even today, the majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and other
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7. respected family members. Recent studies suggest that Indian culture is trending away from
traditional arranged marriages. Fewer marriages are purely arranged without consent and that
the majority of surveyed Indian marriages are arranged with consent. The percentage of
self-arranged marriages (called love marriages in India) have also increased, particularly in the
urban parts of India.
5. Define ethnicity and discuss some of the major ethnic movements in India.
Answer- Ethnicity is the term used for the culture of people in a given geographic region or of
people who descended from natives of that region. It includes their language, nationality,
heritage, religion, dress, and customs. An Indian-American woman might display her ethnicity
by wearing a sari, bindi, and henna hand art, or she could conceal it by wearing Western garb.
Being a member of an ethnic group involves following some or all of those cultural practices.
Members of an ethnicity tend to identify with each other based on these shared traits.
Examples of ethnicity include being labeled as Irish, Jewish, or Cambodian, regardless of race.
Ethnicity is considered an anthropological term because it is based on learned behaviors, not
biological factors. Many people have mixed cultural backgrounds and can share in more than
one ethnicity.
An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more contending ethnic groups. While the source
of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must
expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within society. This final criterion differentiates
ethnic conflict from other forms of struggle.[1][2]
Academic explanations of ethnic conflict generally fall into one of three schools of thought:
primordialist, instrumentalist or constructivist. Recently, several political scientists have argued
for either top-down or bottom-up explanations for ethnic conflict. Intellectual debate has also
focused on whether ethnic conflict has become more prevalent since the end of the Cold War,
and on devising ways of managing conflicts, through instruments such as consociationalism and
federalisation. Ethnic mobilisation may have multiple causes. Economic marginality is certainly
one of the root causes, and hence one of the theoretical explanations, of regional and national
conflicts but it is not by itself a sufficient basis for a general theory of ethnicity or regionalism.
Economic factors are, of course, fundamental to
theoretical explanations, but they are many sided and must be considered in their concrete
reality. Historical and political factors are most important, but these must also be considered as
concrete elements of specific historical development and of a specific political system. Cultural
factors can also develop in complex ways, both as a result of political conflict and of ideological
confrontation (linguistic conflicts, for example). But even these must be considered in terms of
their specific reality. Ethnic nationalism is also a reflection of broader and deeper consensus in
modern society, such as disquiet at standardisation, an intensifying identity crisis, and growing
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8. general dissatisfaction with government and the major parties. Hence, ideologically,
ethno-nationalism offers a combination of older themes related to the community, common
inheritance and culture along with newer ones relating to economic development and
democratic control.
Also, it is important to note that motivating forces alone do not give rise to ethnic movements.
The degree to which ethnic groups have a well developed substructure of various kinds of
organisations and associations of their own which encapsulates them and keeps them
externally isolated from their potential opponents is also a necessary determinant.
Assignment C
Answer the following Short Category questions in about 100 words each. Each question
carries 6 marks. 5 x 6 = 30
6. What is the meaning of social institution?
Answer- Institutions, according to Samuel P. Huntington, are "stable, valued, recurring patterns
of behavior". Further, institutions can refer to mechanisms which govern the behavior of a set of
individuals within a given community; moreover, institutions are identified with a social purpose,
transcending individuals and intentions by mediating the rules that govern living behavior.
According to Geoffrey M. Hodgson, it is misleading to say that an institution is a form of
behavior. Instead, Hodgson states that institution are "integrated systems of rules that structure
social interactions".
The term "institution" commonly applies to both informal institutions such as customs, or
behavior patterns important to a society, and to particular formal institutions created by entities
such as the government and public services. Primary or meta-institutions are institutions such
as the family that are broad enough to encompass other institutions.
A social institution consists of a group of people who have come together for a common
purpose. These institutions are a part of the social order of society and they govern behavior
and expectations of individuals.
Examples of Community
Community - a group of people in the same area and under the same government.
Examples are:
Boroughs
Burg
Castle towns
Cities
Company towns
Hamlet
Metropolis
Military posts
Municipality
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9. Shanty towns
Suburbs
Towns
Townships
Villages
7. Define social movement and discuss an example of social movement in tribal India.
Answer- A social movement is a type of group action. There is no single consensus definition
of a social movement. They are large, sometimes informal, groupings of individuals or
organizations which focus on specific political or social issues. In other words, they carry out,
resist, or undo a social change. They provide a way of social change from the bottom within
nations.
Social movements can be defined as "organizational structures and strategies that may
empower oppressed populations to mount effective challenges and resist the more powerful and
advantaged elites".
Political science and sociology have developed a variety of theories and empirical research on
social movements. For example, some research in political science highlights the relation
between popular movements and the formation of new political parties as well as discussing the
function of social movements in relation to agenda setting and influence on politics. Sociologists
distinguish between several types of social movement examining things such as scope, type of
change, method of work, range, and time frame.
Movements in India!
Social movements among tribes aim at collective action to alter, reconstitute, reinterpret, restore
and protect social structure, with a view to improve social, cultural, economic and political
conditions of the tribal people. Hinduism, Christianity, British rule, modern education and
post-independence legislations have generated a high level of consciousness among the tribals,
which has in turn encouraged several movements.
Some movements have asserted their tribal identity and political solidarity. Ecological-cultural
isolation, economic backwardness and a feeling of frustration have been responsible for these
movements. However, those tribals who are either too isolated or too integrated with Hindu
society are not involved in these socio-cultural movements.
For example, in case of the Jharkhand movement in Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Madhya
Pradesh the main points were related to historicity, ideology, structure, leadership and
sub-regional identity. Based on these considerations, Jharkhand was formed as a new state out
of Bihar.
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10. Along with Jharkhand, Uttranchal was carved out from Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was
created from Madhya Pradesh. Socio-cultural movements have given primacy to status
elevation through sanskritisation. The various modes of status elevation for tribes include
emphasis on a specific script, language, religion and ethnic identity. A given region may have a
particular type of movement because of its specific geographical and political situation in the
wider context.
8. Who are the dalits?
Answer- Dalit, meaning "broken/scattered" in Sanskrit and Hindi, is a term mostly used for the
ethnic groups in India that have been kept repressed (often termed backward castes). Dalits
were excluded from the four-fold varna system of Hinduism and were seen as forming a fifth
varna, also known by the name of Panchama. Dalits now profess various religious beliefs,
including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity and various folk religions. The 2011
Census of India recorded their numbers at over 200 million people, representing 16 percent of
India's population.
The term dalits was in use as a translation for the British Raj census classification of Depressed
Classes prior to 1935. It was popularised by the economist and reformer B. R. Ambedkar
(1891–1956), who included all depressed people irrespective of their caste into the definition of
dalits. Hence the first group he made was called the "Labour Party" and included as its
members all people of the society who were kept depressed, including women, small scale
farmers and people from backward castes. Ambedkar himself was a Mahar, and in the 1970s
the use of the word "dalit" was invigorated when it was adopted by the Dalit Panthers activist
group. Gradually, political parties used it to gain mileage. New leaders like Kanhaiya Kumar
subscribe to this definition of "dalits", thus a Brahmin marginal farmer trying to eke out a living,
but unable to do so also falls in the "dalit" category.
India's National Commission for Scheduled Castes considers official use of dalit as a label to be
"unconstitutional" because modern legislation prefers Scheduled Castes; however, some
sources say that Dalit has encompassed more communities than the official term of Scheduled
Castes and is sometimes used to refer to all of India's oppressed peoples. A similar
all-encompassing situation prevails in Nepal.
Scheduled Caste communities exist across India, although they are mostly concentrated in four
states; they do not share a single language or religion. They comprise 16.6 per cent of India's
population, according to the 2011 Census of India. Similar communities are found throughout
the rest of South Asia, in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and are part of the global
Indian diaspora.
9. Define communalism and give an example.
Answer- Communalism, in a broad sense means a strong attachment to one’s own community.
In popular discourse in India, it is understood as unhealthy attachment to one’s own religion. It’s
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11. an ideology that, in order to unify the community, suppresses distinctions within the community
and emphasizes the essential unity of the community against other communities. In this way it
promotes belief in orthodox tenets and principles, intolerance and hatred of other religions and
thus, divides the society.
Positive aspect of communalism stands for the affinity of an individual towards his own
community involving efforts for the social and economic upliftment of his community. However,
in negative connotation, it is an ideology which emphasises the separate identity of a religious
group in relation to other groups with a tendency to promote its own interests at the expense of
the others.
Communal conflicts between religious communities, especially Hindus and Muslims, have been
a recurring occurrence in independent India, occasionally leading to serious inter-communal
violence.
10. How is secularism in India different from secularism in the West?
Answer- Indian secularism is fundamentally different from Western secularism. 'Equal
protection by the State to all religions'.
In Indian society, secularism means equal treatment of all religions and no discrimination
between followers of different religions. In western society, however, secularism refers to
separation between the state and religion and freedom of religion for all people. While its
historical legacy has led western civilization to develop a brand of secularism that primarily
sought to emphasise the separation between church and state, India’s history has led to a
different outcome. There’s no clear demarcation between state and religion in India, with the
government being equally invested in all religions. This is why in India, secularism manifests
itself by creation of an environment where every religion is represented and its followers can
freely practice the religion. However, in a country like France, the hijab is banned, because
external manifestation of religion is not appreciated in that society. Also, in western society, laws
are made in isolation from religious principles. However, in India, the law seeks to accommodate
the multiple religious principles that followers of different religions adhere to.
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