This document provides an overview of key concepts related to social sciences perspectives for social work. It discusses traditional Hindu society and its emphasis on religion, customs, and hierarchy. It also outlines the basic tenets of Hindu society like ideas of karma, dharma, and the caste system. The document then discusses factors that led to continuity and change in Indian society like independence, education, legislation, and social movements. It also summarizes characteristics and problems faced by tribal, rural, and urban communities in India as well as concepts like social stratification, disorganization, and various social problems.

1. Social Sciences perspective for
Social Work
II
Jc Lohith Shetty
PGDPM, MSW, MBA, UGC - NET
 Asst Professor
 St Aloysius College (Autonomous)




Trainer – Junior Chamber International
President - 2014, JCI Mangalore

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• This is not a study material & only a teaching
aid.
• There is constant changes made to this
teaching material & those changes are not
updated in Slide Share.
• This slide is prepared as teaching aid only, so it
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after attending my classes.

3. Intro to Indian Society.ppt
Historical Morning of the Indian Society Traditional Hindu
Society:
It laid emphasis on religion and magic in behavioural norms
and values, implying continuity with a real or imagined past.
A. Broadly it can be understood as one in which:
1. Individual’s status is determined by his birth and he does not
strive for social mobility.
2. Individual’s behaviour is governed by customs, traditions,
norms and values having deep links with the past.
3. Social organization provides regularity and predictability in
social interaction based on hierarchy.
4. Kinship relations predominate in interaction and individual
identifies himself with primary group.
5. Individual is given more importance in social relations than
what his position actually warrants.

4. 6. People are conservative.
7. Economy is simple i.e. tool economy not machine.
8. Mythical thoughts were predominant no logical resourcing.
9. Superstitious beliefs were predominant
10. Like most other religious women were suppressed.
B. Basic Tenets and Doctrines of Hindu Society:
I. Theological ideas – a) Karma (deeds) b) Dharma
(morality) c) Punarjanma (rebirth) d) Atma (soul) e)
Papa (sin) f) Punya (merit) and g) Moksha (salvation)
II. Purity and impurity (Shudha and Ashudha)
III. Hierarchy - a) division in Varanas, b) In charismatic
qualities (Guna) c) In values regarding life gods Kama
(sex and material gods of sensory enjoyments), Artha
(achieving wealth), Dharma (moral obligation in
social, religious and cultural realms), Moksha (pursuit
of salvation).

5. C. Idol Worship
D. Monolithic charter (many gods)
E. Ashramas: Stages of Life in Realizing the Ideal of Life
a) Brahmacharya (student life)
b) Grahasthya (family life)
c) Vanaprastha (retired life) and
d) Sannyasa (life of renunciation)
F. Varanas
a) Brahmanas – engaged in priestly function, teaching,
medicine etc.
b) Kshatriyas – engaged in war, ruling and
administration.
c) Vaishyas – engaged in agriculture, trade and
commerce.
d) Sudras – engaged in unskilled work and as labourers.

6. Indian Society through the Ages:
 Impact of Cultural Renaissance and Buddhism
 Impact of Islam
 Impact of West and Modernization
 Impact of modern Education System
Factors in continuity and change in Indian Society:
 Political Independence and Democratic values
 Urbanization
 Industrialization
 Increase in Education
 Legislative Measures
 Change in Caste system
 Social Movement and Social Awareness
 Feminism
 Globalization

7. Tribal Society:
Society in India by Ram Ahuja
According to July 11, 1995-Hindustan Times
8.08% of Indian population is constituted by
Tribes.
Isolated from larger cultural influences
They believe in spirits, magic and witch craft
They have their own taboos
Most tribes believe in Animisms

8. Some Important features of tribes:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Common Name
Common Territory
Common Language
Common Culture
Endogamy
Political Organizations – Own
administration and judgement
G. Practice their own herbal medicines
H. Tribal leadership

9. Tribal Problem:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
They hold small and uneconomic land holdings
Isolated from civilization and amenities
Illiteracy
Ignorance of law and constitution
Blind faith and exploitation deforestation
Declaration and National forest Reservoirs
Mining and land acquisition
Poor hygiene and accommodation and health
facilities
9. Exploitation
10.Bonded labours
11.Human trafficking / Women Trafficking
12.Displacement and Resettlement

10. The Indian Rural Community:
Characteristics
1. Joint Family system
2. Agriculture Dependent
3. Handicraft and Folk Culture
4. Religious
5. Caste System
6. Illiteracy – High and Ignorance
7. Superstitious belief
8. Less Modernized
9. Low access to health care
10.Gender inequality
11.Power structure dominates

11. 1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)
16)
17)
Problems - Rural Community:
High birth-rate and death rate
Illiteracy and ignorance
High exploitation of suppressed class
Low per-capita income
Breakdown of family structure
Employment opportunities – Low
Lack of educational
Lack of health care facilities
Superstitious belief and spiritual medicines
High gender inequality and discrimination
Child marriage
Bounded Labour
Caste discrimination, class discrimination
Remote legislative and judicial approach
High dependency on nature and natural calamities
Lack of cleanliness and hygiene
Lack of awareness and prevention of illness

12. 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Indian Urban Community
characteristics:
Nuclear / extended family
Higher level of literacy
Higher per-capita Income
Sophisticated and automated life style
Higher involvement and membership in territory
groups
6. Employment of both the spouse is observed
highly
7. Weaker family bond
8. Industrialization
9. Over population
10.Good infrastructure and facility
11.Higher surveillance and security

13. Problems of Indian Urban
Community:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Slums
High inequality of income
Unemployment
Drug addiction and mafia
Divorce, separation, living to gather, extra
marital unwedded mother affairs etc.
6) Home less
7) Juvenile delinquency
8) Prostitution
9) Child trafficking / women trafficking
10)Pollution and over crowding

14. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION: Shankar Rao
a) Raymond W Murry: “Social stratification is a
horizontal division of society into ‘high’ and
‘lower’ social units”.
b) Gisbert: “Social stratification is the division of
society into permanent groups of categories
linked with each other by the relationship of
superiority and subordination”.
c) Lundberg: “A stratified society is one marked by
inequality, by differences among people that are
evaluated by them as being ‘lower’ and ‘higher’”

15. Characteristics:
I. It is Social
II. It is Ancient
III. It is Universal
IV. It is in diverse forms
V. It is consequential

16. Caste system:
• C H Cooley: “When a class is somewhat strictly
hereditary, we may call it a caste”.
• MacIver and Page: “When status is wholly
predetermined so that men are sort to their
lot without any hope of changing it, then the
class takes the extreme form of caste”.
• A W Green: “Caste is a system of stratification
in which mobility up and down the states
ladder, at least ideally may not occur”.

17. Characteristics of Caste:
•
•
•
•
Caste as a hierarchical division of society
Sentimental division of society
Restriction on Food habits
Restriction on social relations social and
religious disabilities of certain castes
• The civil and religious privilege of certain
castes
• Restrictions on Occupational choice
• Restrictions on marriage

18. Causes for changes in Caste System:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Uniform Legal System
Impact of Modern Education and westernization
Industrialization, Urbanization, Westernization
Influence of modern transport and
communication system
5. Raise of Non Brahmin Movement Jyothirao
Pooley 1873.
6. Various social legislations
7. Increase in organizational power of castes
8. Protection of SC and OBC
9. Freedom struggle and democracy
10.Liberty and equality

19. The Estate System:
Social Class
• Ogburn and Nimkoff: “A Social Class is the
aggregate of persons having essentially the
same social status in a given society”.
• MacIver and Page: “A SC is any portion of the
community marked of from the rest by social
status”.
• Lapire: “A SC is culturally defined group that is
accorded a particular position of status within
the population as a whole”.

20. Nature and Characteristics:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
Class a status group
Achieved status and not ascribed status
It is universal
Mode of feeling and pride or inferiority
Element of prestige
Element of sterility
Mode of living
Social class an open group
Social class an economic group
Class consciousness

21. Caste
Class
1. Particular
Universal
2. Ascribed status
Achieved status
3. Closed System
Open System
4. Devine Origin
Secular
5. Purity and Impurity
Feeling of Disparity
6. Regulation of Relations
Limits Relations
7. Greater Social Distance
Less Social Distance
8. Conservative
Progressive
9. Endogamous Group
Not Endogamous
10. Complexity
Simplicity
11. Caste Conscious
Class Conscious

22. SOCIAL DISORGANISATION:
• Robert Eolofairs: “Social Disorganization is a
disturbance in the patterns a mechanism of
human relations”.
• Ogburn and Nimkoff: “When the harmonious
relationship between the various parts of culture
is disturbed, social disorganization ensures”.
• Emile Durkheim: “Social Disorganization is a state
of disequilibrium and a lack of social solidarity or
consensus among the members of a society”.

23. Types of Disorganization: Elliot and
Merrill
• Personal or Individual disorganization like crime,
insanity or mental derangement, prostitution,
juvenile delinquency, alcoholism, drug addiction,
gambling, suicide etc.
• Family disorganization like divorce, desertion,
separation, broken home, unwedded mothers,
domestic violence and venereal disease etc.
• Community disorganization like poverty, beggary,
unemployment, overpopulation, lawlessness,
political corruption etc.

24. Characteristics of Social Disorganization:
1. Conflict of Mores and of Institutions
2. Transfer of functions from one group to
another
3. Individualization
4. Inconsistency between expectations and
achievements
5. Inconsistency between status and rule

25. Causes of Social Disorganization:
1. Psychological Factors: a) Communication b)
Problem of attitude
2. Cultural Lag
3. Physical or Geographic factors
4. Biological factors
5. Economic factors
6. Social Problems leading to Social Disorganization
7. Degeneration of values
8. Disintegration and confusion of roles
9. Political subordination
10.Decline of social control
11.Disruptive social change

26. Social Problems and Causes:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Juvenile delinquency
Youth unrest
Problems of aged
Over population
Unemployment and underemployment
Poverty
Beggary
Problems of Under Privileged
Corruption and Black money