GRADE-11
CHAPTER-SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIETY
Q1. Why is the study of the origin and growth of sociology
important?
Answer: The studyof origin and growth of societies are important in sociology to understand several
personal and social issues.
England was the centre of industrial revolution. The understanding of how Urbanisation or factory
production influenced all modern societies is very important.
Sociology of India reflects origin and growth of people, social institution and their problems. Indian
history is full of imperialistic invasions. In India there has been a long past of feudalism, capitalism and
Colonalisation.
Indian history related to political, social or cultural domains is written by foreigners and therefore it is
far from truth.
Presently Indian society can be understood in its complexity of tradition which are influenced by Turks,
Mongols, Kushan, Afghans and Britishers and the influence of modern world. Indian sociology is a
complex product of its history. Therefore, the study of the origin and growth of society is important tor
sociology.
Q2. Discuss the different aspects of the term 'society'. How is it different from your common-sense
understanding?
Answer: Society is a complex system of interdependent relationships, shared culture, and social
institutions. It's structured, hierarchical, and dynamic, constantly evolving. It emphasizes social
institutions, norms, and the effects of social structures on individuals.
Common-Sense View: Society is simply a collection of people. It's often seen as static and
homogenous. It tends to focus on individuals, overlooking systemic influences. It is often seen as a
natural occurrence, and not a social construct.
Q3. Discuss how there is greater give and take among disciplines today.
Answer: Today, disciplines like sociologY, history, economics, and political science are less isolated.
They realize that social problems are complex and require multiple perspectives.
For example, understanding poverty involves economic factors (economics), historicalcontext (history),
politicalpolicies (political scicnce), and social structures (sociology).
This "give and take" means researchers from different fields work together, sharing knowledge and
methods to get a more complete picture of social issues. This interdisciplinary approach is far more
common today than in the past.
Q4. Identify any personal problem that you or your friends or relatives are [Link] a
sociological understanding.
Answer: Let's take the example of "difficulty finding affordable housing."
Personal Problem: An individual struggles to find a place to live within their budget, leading to stress
and instability.
Sociological Understanding:
This isn't just a personal issue; it's often a public issue tied to:
Economic factors: Rising housing costs, stagnant wages, and income inequality.
Urbanization:Increased population density in cities, leading to higher demand for housing.
Government policies: Zoning laws, housing regulations, and lack of affordable housing initiatives.
Social inequality: Certain groups (e.g., low-income families, minorities) are disproportionately affected
by housing shortages.
By applying a sociological lens, we see that the individual's problem isconnected to broader social
forces, rather than being solely a matter of personal failure.
Q5. What is society?
Answer: Society is a system of usage and procedures of authority and mutual aid, of many groupings
and divisions, of controls of human behaviour and of liberties. It is the web of social relationship. It is
always changing.
06. HoW society is a continuous process?
Answer: Society isa continuous process. It functions in a natural way. Society is not imposed upon
people rather it is accepted by the members. The most important part in the functioning of society is
negotiations, Due to social interaction society gets constituted and reconstituted.
Q7. How Sociology is a progressive science?
Answer: Sociology deals with modern society. It is a new science which came into existence in recent
times. Latest concepts are included in sociology which keeps the subject up to date.
Sociology isthe science that deals with social groups, their mode of organisation, the processes that
tend to maintain or change these forms of organisation, and the relations between groups. Therefore,
it is a progressive science.
Q8. What is Anthropology?
Answer: Anthropology is the study of primitive society. It studies cultures which are smalland static. It
is the study of man and development of human race. There are four main branches: Physical
anthropology, social anthropology, Culturalanthropology and Applied anthropology.
[Link] Pluralities and Inequalities among Societies.
Answer: In the contemporary world, we belong to more than one society. When amidst foreigners 'our
society' may mean 'Indian society', but when amongst fellowIndians we may use the term'our society
todenotea linguistic or ethnic community, a religious or caste or tribal society. Inequality is central to
differences among societies. Some Indians are rich,others are not. Some are educated, others are
illiterate, some have great opportunities for advancement in life; others lack them altogether.
Q10. Discuss the relationship between Sociology and History.
Answer: Sociology tries to understand the social life of particular times only on the basis of historical
influences whereas History is a compilation of the events of the past. History focuses on the study of
the past, whereas Sociology shows interest in contemporary scene or recent past. History emphasises
on the differences in the similar events but Sociology deals with the similarities in different events.
Sociology takes help of history to understand modem society because sociologists can get social facts
of ancient society from history.
Q11. Discuss relationship between Sociology and Economics.
Answer: Sociology studies the different parts of society as a whole whereas Economics studies only
the economic part of society. The view point of sociology is extensive while economics is aspecial
science related to economic aspect of human being.
The approach of sociology to study relationships is collectivistic whereas the perspective of
is individualistic.
economics
Sociology uses quantitative and numeral methods whereas economics derives facts using inductive
and deductive methods.
Economic phenomenaare constantly determined by all sort of social needs and activities and they are
constantly redetermining, creating, shaping and transforming social need and activity of every kind.
Q12. Describe the growth of Sociology in India.
Answer: The history of origin and development of Sociology in India is more than 4000 years old. The
fundamental source of social ideology was religion. During Indian Vedic era, a systematic development
of different social institutions of society was [Link] in India has been influenced by
various internal processes particularly the colonial regime which tried to prove their Cultural
superiority in comparison of Indian culture. First of all, Sociology courses were taught at Calcutta
University in the Department of Economics, Political Science, Human Geography and Anthropology.
Thiswas pioneered by philosopher Brajendra Nath Seal, Benoy Sarkar, anthropologist K.P.
Chattopadhyay and human geographer Nirmal Bose.
In 1914, the Department of Sociology was started for PG students of economics.
As Sociology is defined today have been first of all introduced in India in Bombay University under the
guidance of Prof. Patriels in 1919.
In 1923, Mysore University introduced Sociology in BA course as a separate subject. Presently
Sociology is being taught in most of the Indian universities as a BA pass or BA honours course and PG
courses.
Presently the premier institutes of India like JNU, Delhi School of Economics, Tata Institute of Social
Science have special professional courses in Sociology.
Indian sociologists who contributed significantly to make their subject flourish are Dr. Radha Kamal
Mukherjee, Prof. P.N. Prabhu, Prof. Wadia, Prof. Shrinivas, Dr. R.N. Saxena, Prof. R.R. Shastri, Prof.
Kapadia, Prof. N. Prasad, Prof. T.K. Oomen, Prof. S.C. Dubey, Prof Andrea.
[Link] the concept of social facts.
Answer: There are ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that are experienced by individuals as external
and constraining and that is general throughout the social group. Emile Durkheim emphasized social
facts. He talked about individual and collective consciousness. All thoughts, ideas, or inventions
developed by individuals, when accepted and adopted by a larger group became part of collective
consciousness. He stated that society is external to man. It influences our entire life. We are part of
society having our own specific place in the social system.