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Social Structure: What is

Rural Social Structure?
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‘Social structure’ is one of the central and basic

concepts of sociology. After World War II, the concept
of social structure became popular in social
anthropological studies and since then, it is applied to
almost any ordered arrangement of social phenomena.
Social structure is a pattern or arrangement of
elements of a society in an organized and collective
way. The interactions and behaviour of the members
of a society are stable and patterned. These stable
patterns of interaction are called ‘social structures’.

Social structure is the framework of society that sets

limits and establishes standards for our behaviour. It
is, thus, defined simply as any recurring pattern of
social behaviour. A social structure includes or is
made-up of elements of society, such as institutions,
statuses, roles, groups and social classes. Sociologists
study social structure by examining the elements or
parts that comprise it.

The study of social structure with the principal form of

social organization, that is, types of groups,
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associations and institutions and the complex of these
which constitutes societies. – Ginsberg

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The term ‘social structure’ applies to the particular

arrangement of inter-related institutions, agencies and
social patterns as well as the statuses and roles, which
each person assumes in the group. – Talcott Parsons

As now we have discussed about the concept of social

structure, let us now proceed with the rural social
structure of Indian villages that is unique and
maintains a separate culture of their own, away from
urban societies. Though the influence of urban areas is
felt on rural areas, there are some specific aspects,
which occupy a significant place in the rural society.

Some of them are caste, kinship, family, marriage,

religion, economy and polity. Found in urban societies
as well, these institutions are very rigid in their func-
tioning in the rural society. For instance, the institution
of family found in urban India is completely different
from rural. The family in the village community has a
greater importance.

If a member of a family defaults in paying his loan

installments in a cooperative bank, it brings great
defamation to the whole family. It is very difficult for
an individual to isolate himself from the family. The
existence of individualism is marginal in the village. It
is this perspective, which differentiates village
institutions from urban institutions.

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The rural social structure includes all these aspects in

social, economic and political institutions. Thus, a rural
community is a separate entity on its own. A correct
idea about the rural social structure comes with an
understanding of the characteristics of rural
community.

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