RURAL AND TRIBAL SOCIETIES IN INDIA MA SOCIOLOGY I SEMESTER (2019 Admission Onwards) (CORE COURSE) UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT School of Distance Education Calicut University- P.O, Malappuram- 673635,Kerala 190354 School of Distance Education UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT School of Distance Education Study Material MAI Semester SOCIOLOGY (2019 Admission) Core Course (SOCI C04) RURAL AND TRIBAL SOCIETIES IN INDIA Prepared by: Smt.. RANJINI.PT, Assistant Professor of Sociology, School of Distance Education, University of Calicut. Scrutinized by: Sri. Shailendra Varma R, Assistant Professor, Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Calicut. Rural and Tribal Societies in India Page 2 School of Distance Education Objectives 1. To acquaint students with basics of rural and tribal societies in our country. 2. To analyze rural and tribal problems. 3. To provide knowledge of rural and tribal social institutions. MODULE 1 - RURAL AND PEASANT SOCIETY 1.1 Scope and importance of the study of rural society in India 1.2 Rural society, Peasant society, Agrarian society: Features 1.3 Perspectives on Indian village community: Historical and Ecological 1.4 Nature and changing dimensions of village society, Village studies-Marriot & Beteille MODULE 2 - CHANGING RIRAL SOCIETY 2.1 Agrarian social structure, Land ownership and agrarian relations 2.2 Emergent class relations, Decline of Agrarian economy, De-peasantization 2.3 Land reforms and its impact on rural social structure with special reference to Kerala 2.4 Migration, Globalization and rural social transformation. MODULE 3 - GOVERNANCE IN RURAL SOCIETY 3.1 Rural governance: Village Panchayath, Caste Panchayath, Dominant caste 3.2 Decentralization of power in village society, Panchayathi Raj 3.3 Community Development Programme in India 3.4 People’s Planning Programme: A critical Appraisal MODULE 4 - TRIBAL SOCIETY IN INDIA 4.1 History of Indian Tribes, Demographic features 4.2 Integration of the Tribals with the Non-tribals, Tribe-caste continuum 4.3 Tribal problems in India 4.4 Approaches, Planning and programmes for Tribal Development. Rural and Tribal Societies in India Page 3 School of Distance Education MODULE 1 RURAL AND PEASANT SOCIETY Rural and tribal societies in India is the fourth paper of MA Sociology. This paper deals with the structure and characteristics of rural and tribal societies in India in ancient as well as in modern period. Even though the process of urbanization is very fast in modern society, the rural societies are not fully disappeared so the study of rural and tribal society deserves relevance in society. This course acquaints the students with the basics of rural and tribal societies in India and at the same time it provides a clear picture about the rural and tribal social problems. The course also tries to give an idea about the rural and tribal social institutions. Through providing these intellectual outlooks the course also provides an outlook about the fellow beings living in rural and tribal society. The paper constituted by four modules First Module is Rural and peasant society, which discusses the origin, development, nature and scope of the study of rural society in world as well as in India. The module also tries to familiarize the basic concepts in Rural sociology that is the scientific study of rural society. The module displays the structure and characteristics of village community with the help of the studies of well known Indian sociologists like Marriot and Beteille. The second module is changing rural society, which deals with the transformation of the rural society from agrarian social structure to the modern form. The rural society transformed mainly with the influence of emergence of class society. The emergent class relations destruct the agrarian economy which leads to de-peasantization. Land reforms are another peculiarity of post-independent society; it is another cause of decline of agrarian society. Migration and globalization are another two factors leading to rural transformation. Module third mainly analyzes the governance in rural society, which discusses the historical emergence of the governance system in rural society. Village Panchayath, caste Panchayath and dominant caste are the early governing body in rural society. Decentralization of power is the attraction of village society during post-independence period. Tribal society in India is the fourth module of this paper. The fourth module mainly discusses the history of Indian tribes give special reference to the demographic features of tribes, integration of tribes with non-tribes, tribe-caste continuum, tribal problems in India and the approaches, planning and programmes for tribal development. Rural and Tribal Societies in India Page 4 School of Distance Education 1.1 Scope and importance of the study of rural society in India Rural society is the subject matter of rural sociology. It is a field of sociology associated with the study of social life in rural society. Rural social institutions, social structure, social change, rural life etc. are important topics analyzed in rural sociology. Rural sociology is the scientific study of rural society and it is the holistic study of rural social settings. Rural sociology became prominent during the late industrial revolution in France, Ireland, Prussia, Scandinavia and US. The systematic origin of rural sociology is in 19th century in America. The period of 1890-1920 in America saw the rural societies facing many socio-economic problems which attracted the attention of the intelligentsia thus establishing study of rural society as an academic discipline. The appointment of Country life Commission by Theodore Roosevelt was an important landmark in the history of rural sociology. It has been argued that the Second World War caused heavy destruction and damage to human society which needed immediate reconstruction. As a result rural sociology got an impetus in USA. The main concern of rural sociology came to be the understanding and diagnosing of the social and economic problems of farmers. More emphasis was placed on issues such as the internal structures of community life and the changing composition of rural populations than on their relationships with land or the social aspects of agricultural production. The prominent scholars engaged in researches in rural sociology during this period were Sir Henry Maine, Etton, Stemann, Baden Powell, Slater and Pallock etc. It was since about the middle of the nineteenth century that more systematic observations on the history of the origin and transformation of rural society have been advanced the impact of the capitalist industrial civilization upon the rural economy and social structure, in various parts of the world, forced the attention of scholars to the study of the trends of rural social development. Research in the subject of the origin and the nature of village communities which were undergoing transformation was launched. Emergence of sociology as an organized discipline in USA However, rural sociology as an organized discipline consciously developed, is of very recent origin. Due to historical reasons it has originated in the U.S.A. and slowly tends to draw attention elsewhere as its importance is being realized. The American society faced an all round decay during the period among 1890-1920 this period known as the exploiter period. Intelligentsia makes analysis about the exploiter period and a considerable literature, describing and analyzing the problems arising out of its growing crisis, came into existence. This literature, however, did not explore, locate, and formulate the fundamental laws governing the development of rural Rural and Tribal Societies in India Page 5 School of Distance Education society. It became pre-requisites for the birth of the science of rural society but did not still create that science. However, the beginnings of rural sociology may be traced to those “streams” of publications. The first valuable work on the subject was the Report on the Country life Commission appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. A number of Doctorate theses based on the study of the rural community comprised further significant literature dealing with problems of rural life and providing, revealing information thereon. Finally a group of rural church and school studies made by individuals interested in an investigation of maladjustments in rural life constituted the third “stream” of publications. This literature served as the basis for creating the science of rural sociology in the U.S.A. The Country life Commission, under the chairmanship of Dean Bailey, the eminent scholar of rural problems, conducted a field work on the basis of questionnaire. The Commission, on the basis of this investigation, published a report in which they attempt to analyze and diagnose the defects and deformities of rural society. “This report actually provided what might be called a charter for Rural Sociology”. “An American Town,” “Quaker Hill” and “A Hoosier Village”, of which James Michel Williams, Warren H. Wilson and Newell L. Sims were respectively authors, represented further studies of the American rural community. These studies were based on statistical and historical data and field-interview techniques and were submitted as research documents at the Columbia University between 1906 and 1912. Dr. Warren Wilson, along with others interested in the process of rural life, carried on a number of rural church studies. These studies, together with some rural school studies and “The Social Anatomy of an Agricultural Community” by Dr. C.J. Galpin based on an investigation into rural life made by him at the Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Wisconsin in 1915, comprised additional literature germane to rural sociology until 1916. “Rural Sociology” by Prof. John M. Gillettee published in 1916 served as the first college text book on the subject. Subsequently, a number of writers devoted them to the study of rural life and published valuable works which also enriched the literature on the subject. The publication of “A Systematic Source Book in Rural Sociology” in 1930 recognized as an “Epoch-making” work contributed decisively to accelerate the advance of rural sociology.