RURAL SOCIOLOGY- SUMMARIES AND COMPRESSED NOTES. PDF

Preview

Summary

Rural sociology is interesting to study because it involves relatable topics....

Description

KENYATTA UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF OPEN DISTANCE & e-LEARNING IN COLLABORATION WITH SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT: SOCIOLOGY

ASC 205: RURAL SOCIOLOGY

WRITTEN BY: DR. JANE M. WANGARURO

Copyright © Kenyatta University, 2014 All Rights Reserved Published By: KENYATTA UNIVERSITY PRESS

VETTED BY:

Introduction

Rural sociology is a branch of sociology which is mainly concerned with the study of the social and cultural factors affecting the lives of those in rural and agrarian society. Rural sociology has its roots from general sociology. However unlike general sociology, which is more interested in the generation of social theories through basic research, rural sociology makes use of the appreciation of social knowledge to practical problems. It emphasizes experienced field research more than theory construction and maintains a particular interest in rural people, their patterns of interaction and social organization. Course Objectives

By the end of this module, learners will be able to have a clear understanding of the concept and nature of Rural Sociology, the emergence and development of Rural Sociology as a subject. They should also demonstrate a clear understanding of the theories associated with rural life and be able to describe the types of rural communities. Learners should also be in a position to describe important aspects linked to Rural Sociology including; inequality, rural labour, rural poverty and land tenure. They should also demonstrate an understanding of social change and rural development and be able to critically show the future of Rural Sociology.

2

LECTURE ONE: THE CONCEPT OF RURAL SOCIOLOGY What is rural sociology? In every part of the world, particularly in predominantly rural based societies, there is growing consciousness that unless villages are uplifted and developed there cannot be any real national level advancement. It is the village which is the economic base of industrial development and preserver and protector of ancient civilization and cultural heritage. This is the reason why the study of Rural Sociology is assuming profound importance day-by-day. For one to understand Rural Sociology, it is important to understand what the terms rural and Sociology mean. What is Rural? Rural areas are usually defined in many ways in different countries with regard to different perspectives: Population or statistical definition The U.S. Census Bureau in 1950 classifies an area as rural if it has fewer than 2,500 residents—a definition established early in the 20th century. Most other developed countries utilize this definition. Persons who live in the country or towns of less than 2,500 people are said to be rural. Practice of agriculture Areas largely dedicated to agricultural production and landscape Degree of isolation from or inability to participate in the programs of larger society Access to services such as:

Level of Education, quality of medical services,

employment, Transportation and social services. Administration definition The area that is not the capital or center is considered rural

3

Sociology This is the scientific study of people in group relations. Sociologists use scientific methods in their research studies to develop a body of accurate and reliable knowledge about human relationships. Sociology is scientific and is concerned with people not as individuals but as members or groups. Sociologists study people organized in families, networks, schools, manufacturing, and other organization. Defining Rural Sociology: Different scholars have defined rural sociology differently: According to Sanderson (1942), Rural Sociology is the sociology of rural life in the rural environment. Desai (1969) holds that Rural Sociology is the science of the laws of the development of Rural Society. Chapin (1939) argues that Rural Sociology is the study of the rural population, rural social organisation, and the social processes comparative in Rural Society In its broadest definition, Bertrand (1958) holds that Rural Sociology is the study of human relationship in rural environment

In view of the above definitions: •

Rural Sociology is the study of rural environment, social facts and social interactions that are to be found in Rural Society.

•

It is the study of the country’s rural population in general. It is concerned with answering important questions confronting the country at large as they affect that population.

•

As a scientific study it studies the social organisations, structure and set up. It provides us that knowledge about the rural social phenomena which can help us in making contribution to the development of Rural Society.

• •

Rural Sociology (RS) is the study of human social interaction in rural communities It deals with problems affecting communities and endeavors to solve those problems – drought, famine, refugees, IDPs

4

• •

Research carried out in rural sociology is aimed at understanding the communities in question, their problems and how they can be solved – how meaningful change can be brought about for the benefit of the affected people Study of social organization, action, interaction, and institutions in a rural setting – aim to alleviate rural problems like poverty

For many people rural sociology is a discipline that studies agricultural communities. Although this is true, it is only a part of the whole picture. This is because rural sociology is the sub-discipline of sociology concerned with all aspects of rural social structure. Rural sociologists study all aspects of the social organization of rural life. Therefore, besides agricultural production, distribution, and exchange we also need to reflect on other forms of rural economic structure, such as the fisheries. Additionally in rural sociology, we should also be aware of natural resource extraction of all kinds like mining, oil, and gas. It is also important to note that there are many people who live in rural areas who are not necessarily farmers, and there are many people who live in urban or suburban areas who are part of the agro-food complex.

Rural sociology therefore is one of the several subfields of sociology; it is the scientific study of rural people in group relationships. Rural sociology is more often applied to the solution of social problems because of its focus on social change and problems.

The nature of Rural Sociology The term ‘nature’ refers to the essential qualities or characteristic features of a phenomenon. Any discussion about the nature of an intellectual discipline necessarily takes into account two complementary questions. The first one is related with the characteristic and features that make the discipline a distinct and special branch of human knowledge. The second one is concerned with the question of the scientific status of the discipline under discussion.

Taking these two aspects into consideration, the nature of Rural Sociology can be described as follows:

5

1. Rural Sociology is relatively a new branch of science. As a special branch of science, it is in the emerging state. It originated in USA during the last quarter of nineteenth century. After the Second World War the discipline acquired rapid popularity in the developing nations. In India, the discipline has got distinct recognition only after independence. 2. Rural Sociology is an empirical discipline. It is more an empirical science than an abstract one. It is not concerned with abstract phenomena. It asserts propositions and builds up theories neatly on the basis of observed facts of rural life. 3. Rural Sociology is essentially problem-oriented. Rural studies are conducted with the prime intention of solving rural social problems. The analysis of structure, change and evolution are undertaken to understand the real nature of rural problems. The knowledge derived from the rural studies is directly applied in stimulating changes in a desired direction. 4. Rural Sociology is concerned with comparative study. The studies conducted in the rural context are of immense help to both rural sociologists and urban sociologists in explaining the similarities and differences between the rural community and the urban community. Further, a rural sociologist also tries to apply the findings of the studies conducted in one rural society to other rural settings. He tries to compare between different factors and variables so as to find out their inter-relations and to what extent they are responsible in producing a particular effect in rural social life. 5. The comparative analysis in Rural Sociology becomes inevitable because of a large number of micro level studies. Establishing grand theories universally applicable to all the regions in the rural context is, indeed, a heroic task. The reason is possibly attributed to diversities in rural social life and differences among various rural communities. A rural sociologist is, therefore, more apt to take up microlevel theoretical studies. 6. The analysis and interpretation of data in the rural context are not influenced by any ideological orientation.

6

A rural sociologist does not profess any particular ideology. He develops positive approach in understanding rural institutions and associations. He explains rural institutions as they are. He unfolds the real picture of the social institutions and types of actions as they are found in rural society. 7. Rural Sociology is cumulative. The theories in Rural Sociology are the cumulative results of different micro level and middle-range theories. The theories build upon one another, new theories amending or expanding the applicability of the older ones. 8. Science is the theoretical study of a problem while its application is an art or technology. Rural Sociology possesses the characteristics of science such as universality, generality, ethical neutrality, predictability, verifiability etc. Hence it is definitely a science. Several rural sociologists have conducted fieldworks pertaining to caste, family, agrarian relations, land reforms etc. In a certain sense, Rural Sociology assumes the nature of an art or technology. The art of dealing with problems of rural life is necessarily a technology involving the application of many sciences and disciplines just as the technology of bridge building involves: mechanics, geologists, sociologists etc for the determination of the method of constructing a particular bridge.” Every problem in a village requires the collaboration of more than one science.

The importance of Rural Sociology 1. It brings light to the main characteristics and problems of rural areas, the understanding of which is invaluable in dealing fully with rural issues. 2. It provides information about rural people’s needs to the government for rural development programs so that it can be properly designed. 3. It provides feedback to the change agency as to the progress made and the modifications needed in their change programs. 4. It exposes the change agents, who have to interact with the rural people with sociological knowledge on issues such as leadership, power, roles, morals, culture, family organization etc, which they need for the effective performance of their work.

7

LECTURE TWO: THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF RURAL LIFE The sociological view of rural sociology Rural sociology is a specialized application of sociology. It is therefore, very important to study rural life from this perspective. When the economists study rural life, naturally, they focus on activities related to production, distribution, exchange and consumption. Similarly, when a historian enquires about the village life, his approach definitely, is to identify the conditions which have constructed the village. Each of these disciplines deals more or less exclusively with its own perspective. When sociologists approach rural life they are concerned with the human relationships taking place among the village people. It would not be wrong to say that no other discipline focuses attention primarily on human relationships. It is here that sociology differs from all other social sciences. According to Sanderson (1942), sociologists’ interests themselves in human relationships simply because they are social in nature and not because they are related to economic, political, religious and other types of activities. It must further be stressed that sociology does not study the unique. The study and exposition of the unique and particular are left to other sciences which have a special interest in such phenomena. Rural sociology studies human relationships. But these relationships pertain only to rural; physical, social and cultural environment. In definite terms it should be said that rural sociology analyses social relationships which take place within the boundaries of rural society. According to Bertrand (1958), rural sociology is the study of human relationships in the rural environment. This definition correctly implies that it is no more or less than the sociology of life in rural setting. The systematized knowledge of rural social relationships could more aptly be called the sociology of rural life. 8

The social relationships which take place in what we call rural society are manifested in family, caste, class, economy, i.e., agriculture, politics, religion, etc. These social relationships are found in production relations, party politics and other institutions. Although family, caste and class are not only found in villages but also found in urban communities including the metropolitan cities, the operation of family, caste and class that we find in village communities is characteristically different from urban communities. For instance, inter-caste marriage (like in India) in villages immediately gets contempt from the community. However, in urban life, such an affair largely goes unnoticed. What we want to argue is that several of the social institutions that we find in rural communities are specific to the communities as far as their functioning or operation is concerned. It is with this locality approach that rural society is analyzed. In other words, the subject critically looks at the web of social relationships found in the village communities from a sociological perspective. The rural social relationships found in social institutions become the focus of this analysis. Rural Demographics As countries develop, life expectancy increases, as health services and their coverage improve, and lifestyles change reducing the risk of death. At a later stage, as countries continue developing, the fertility rate drops, as family planning services become available and / or, due to cultural and economic reasons, females reduce the amount of children they have during their fertility life-span (in demographic terms 15 – 49 years). These are well established features of development in the dynamics of populations, and are generally described together in what demographers call the demographic transition (Lee 2003). One manifestation of the demographic transition is a change in the age/sex population pyramid shape, from properly a pyramid shape to a cylinder shape as countries move through the four stages of demographic transition: as the fall in the

9

fertility rate manifests in a lower relative size of the younger cohorts, and the reduction of mortality rates shows in a higher relative size of older cohorts.

Economically Dependent Groups and Rural Dependency More than 50% of the variability in the share of the old population (in demography, older than 64 years), and the share of children in the population (14 or younger) can be explained by differences in the level of development alone. The variability in the national share of children is explained by the differences in per capita income. The demographic transition model tells us that countries, starting from high levels of mortality and fertility (first stage), first experience reductions in their mortality rates (second stage), which manifests in longer life-expectancy. Later as countries continue developing they move into the third stage when fertility rates fall and the share of children in the population falls as well. As people live longer, the share of older population starts increasing. However, the fall in the share of children is much faster than the rise in the share of the older population. This should not come as a surprise, because at earlier stages of the demographic transition younger population are a larger share of the total population, and it takes time for these cohort to reach the old-age cohorts, while the fall in fertility immediately manifests in the share of children in total population. This means is that: Since the larger share of economically dependent population is children, and this share is larger in rural areas, it follows that dependency ratios are higher in rural areas. Fertility rates are higher in rural areas. As the larger share of economically dependent population falls with income, it follows that the economic dependency ratio also falls with income The fact that rural dependency ratios are higher than their urban counterparts has important welfare implications. One finding in poverty studies around the world is that household dependency ratios are positively correlated with poverty. Rural Feminization The issue of rural feminization can be of concern from two different perspectives. First, the absence of adult males can be a hindrance to agricultural development, where raw

10

man-power is an important input in agricultural production. This risks being a male chauvinist concern, for, as a matter of fact, in many cultures it is females that generally attend the agricultural activities of the household. However, in other communities the absence of able bodied adult males can be a serious obstacle to agricultural growth.

The other aspect of feminization is at the household level. If female-headed households are consistently over-represented among the poor, then the increase in femininity should be of concern. Female headed households generally have higher dependency ratios, lower average earnings for the “bread earner”, many times are forced to take lower paying jobs to accommodate to household-duties’ generated time constraints; all of which contribute to higher poverty levels (Buvinic and Gupta (1997)).

Furthermore, even if measured poverty does not indicate that female-headed households are poorer, their welfare position is still likely to be lower due to the leisure time sacrifices that they have to trade for equivalent income (Lipton and Ravallion (1995). In conclusion, although female headed households are likely in a disfavored position, the situation varies considerably by country and developing region. Rural feminization is also caused by HIV/AIDS and also issues related to migration

Rural Ageing At what point does population ageing become a hindrance for rural development? This is usually depends on many factors: on whether the country has a well funded pension system, on whether older people are holding to land as insurance thus blocking efficient land transactions, on whether households headed by older people are consistently poorer.

Rural ageing may be a hindrance to rural development in some particular communities, but at aggregate levels the share of old population, under 10% in all development regions, is unlikely to be a barrier to the development of rural economies. This is more valid the less developed the country is (Anríquez and Bonomi 2008).

11

LECTURE THREE: EMERGENCE, GROWTH AND TYPES OF RURAL COMMUNITIES

The emergence and development of Rural Sociology Rural Sociology started in the USA. It was offered in 1892 in the University of Chicago as a subject. About 1900, the first sociology department was founded at the University of Chicago to study social problem resulting from industrialization, urbanization...