Social Institutions: Continuity and Change
Madhya Pradesh Board · Class 12 · Sociology
Complete topic list for Social Institutions: Continuity and Change in Madhya Pradesh Board Class 12 Sociology. Key concepts, sub-topics, and what to focus on for board exams.
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Get startedTopics in Social Institutions: Continuity and Change
1. Caste: Meaning, Features, and Historical Change
- Caste is uniquely associated with the Indian sub-continent, though similar social effects exist elsewhere.
- Caste, though characteristic of Hindu society, has spread to Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs.
- The word caste comes from the Portuguese casta, meaning pure breed.
2. Social Reformers and Anti-Caste Movements
- Ayyankali was a leader of the lower castes and Dalits in Kerala; his efforts won Dalits freedom to walk on public roads and allowed Dalit children to join schools.
- Jotirao Govindrao Phule denounced caste injustice and purity and pollution rules.
- Phule founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 for human rights and social justice for low-caste people.
3. Caste in the Present: Politics, Class, and Social Visibility
- Independent India abolished caste in principle, but the state did not dismantle the economic basis of caste inequality.
- Government jobs were treated in a caste-blind manner, except for reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- Modern industry and urbanisation created new spaces where old caste rules became weaker.
4. Tribal Communities: Meaning, Classification, and Change
- Tribe is a modern term for very old communities, among the oldest inhabitants of the sub-continent.
- Tribes were defined negatively: they did not practice a religion with a written text, did not have a normal state form, and did not have sharp class divisions.
- By the 1970s, major definitions of tribe were shown to be faulty because size, isolation, religion, and livelihood did not fit all tribes.
Key Concepts
Central concept: Social institutions in India change over time while also showing continuity in caste, tribe, family, and kinship
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