HUMANITIES

SEMESTER 3
TKM SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE Aswathy M S
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Module 4
 MODULE 4

• Cultural anthropology, Culture and architecture.

• Concept of social structure. Relation between social

structure and spatial structure.

• Social aspects of housing. Social problems of slums

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

 Social structure is the framework of societal
institutions (politics, and religion) and social practices
(social roles) that make up a society and establish limits on
behavior.

Social structure refers to the way society is organized.

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 SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF EGYPT (based on jobs and responsibilities)
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 1. SOCIAL INSTITUTION

“Social institutions are established sets of norms

and subsystems that support each society's
survival.”

 Sociologists have identified government, religion,

education, economy and family as the five basic social
institutions that are necessary for a society to survive

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 2. SOCIAL GROUPS

“ Social groups consists of a number of people

who have a common identity, some feeling of
unity, and a certain common goals and shared
norms.”

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 3. SOCIAL STATUS

A status is socially defined position in society

characterized by certain expectations, rights,
and duties.

Examples: Family statuses, occupational statuses ,social

class statuses, demographic statuses, etc

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 Ascribed status

◦ Social position based on attributes over which the

individual has little or no control, such as race/ethnicity,
age, and gender. (generally by birth)

Achieved status

◦ Social position that a person assumes as a result of

personal choice, merit, or direct effort.

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 Master status is the most important status that a
person occupies.

It is the Social position which is the primary identifying

character

Examples: Being a member of a religious, racial, or

sexual minority, homeless, gender

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 Status symbols are material signs that inform
others of a person’s specific status.
Example: Wearing a wedding ring proclaims that a
person is married.

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

 Characteristics of social structure

1. Social structure is an abstract and intangible phenomenon

2. As individuals are the units of association and institutions so

these association and institutions are the units of social
structure

3. These institutions and association are interrelated in a

particular arrangement and thus create the pattern of social
structure.

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 4. It refers to the external aspect of society which is relatively
stable as compared to the functional or internal aspect of
society

5. Social structure is a “living” structure which is created,

maintained for a time and changes.

6. It is not static but dynamic yet there is not much change in

its basic form. It is relatively permanent through time.

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 What is SOCIAL STRATIFICATION???????

Social stratification is a society's categorization of

people into socioeconomic strata, based upon
their occupation and income, wealth and social status, or
derived power (social and political).

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 • The division of society into
classes, categories or ranks.

• Division in society, leads to

social inequality

• Exists in all societies

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 Principles of Social Stratification

• Social stratification is a trait of society, not simply a reflection

of individual differences

• Social stratification persists over generations

• Social stratification is universal (it happens everywhere) but

variable (it takes different forms across different societies)

• Social stratification involves not just inequality but beliefs as

well (inequality is rooted in a society's philosophy)

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 Characteristics of Social Stratification:

• Social stratification is universal:

There is no society on this world which is free from stratification.
Modern stratification differs from stratification of primitive
societies.

• Stratification is social:
It is true that biological qualities do not determine one’s
superiority and inferiority. Factors like age, sex, intelligence as
well as strength often contribute as the basis on which statues
are distinguished.

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 • It is ancient:
Stratification system is very old. In almost all the ancient
civilizations, the differences between the rich and poor, humble
and powerful existed.

• It is in diverse forms:
The forms of stratification is not uniform in all the societies. In
the modern world, class, caste and estate are the general forms
of stratification. In India a special type of stratification in the
form of caste is found.

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 Social inequality
Unequal sharing of scarce resources and social rewards

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 SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN INDIA

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 In India we come across a special type of stratification in the
form of castes.
The meaning of caste is breed , race , strain or a complex of
hereditary qualities.

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 “A caste is merely a rigid social class into which members
are born and from which they can withdraw or escape only
with extreme difficulty. Its the type of stratification system
which is the most rigid in matters of mobility and distinctness of
status” – Lundberg

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 When a class is somewhat strictly hereditary we may call it a
caste.

Features of caste

• Segmental division of society

• Social and religious hierarchy

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 Merits and demerits of caste system in India

Merits

• Spirit of cooperation
• Defines economic pursuits : Identification of work with caste
• Integration of the country

Demerits

• Denies mobility of labour

• Untouchability
• Promotes casteism.

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 SLUMS

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

 UN-HABITAT defines a slum household as a group of
individuals living under the same roof in an urban area
who lack one or more of the following:

1. Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects

against extreme climate conditions.
2. Sufficient living space which means not more than three
people sharing the same room.
3. Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an
affordable price.
4. Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or
public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people.
5. Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions
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 • Not all slums are homogeneous and not all slum
dwellers suffer from the same degree of deprivation.

• The degree of deprivation depends on how many of the

five conditions that define slums are prevalent within a slum
household.

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 Around 33% of the urban population in the developing world in
2012, or about 863 million people, lived in slums (UN HABITAT).

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Characteristics of slums
Location and growth
Slums typically begin at the outskirts of a city. New slums sprout at the new
boundaries of the expanding city, usually on publicly owned lands, thereby
creating an urban sprawl mix of formal settlements, industry, retail zones and
slums.
Insecure tenure
Informality of land tenure is a key characteristic of urban slums.At their start,
slums are typically located in least desirable lands near the town or city, that
are state owned or trust owned or religious entity owned or have no clear land
.
Substandard housing and overcrowding
Slum areas are characterized by substandard housing Often the construction
quality is inadequate to withstand heavy rains, high winds, or other local
climate and location. Paper, plastic, earthen floors, mud-and-wattle walls, wood
held together by ropes, straw or torn metal pieces as roofs are some of the
materials of construction.

Inadequate or no infrastructure
One of the identifying characteristics of slums is the lack of or inadequate
public infrastructure.
 In India, the Slum Area (Improvement & Clearance) Act,
1956 (under section 3) provides the legal basis for defining or
declaring any area as ‘slum’.

The Act uses the following criteria for defining slums:-

i. area in any respect unfit for human habitation;
ii. area by reason of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty
arrangement and design of such buildings, narrowness or
faulty arrangement of streets, lack of ventilation, light,
sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors which
are detrimental to safety, health and morals.

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

 Percentage
of Slum HHs
to Total
Urban HHs
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 Initiatives.. <ul><li>Different Governments
have different ways to handle the problem of
growing slums. </li></ul><ul><li>Various NGOs
are also taking initiatives to help govt in
dealing with this issue.
</li></ul><ul><li>Agencies like Jawaharlal
Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
(JNNURM) and Slum Rehabilitation Authority
(SRA) plan the Rehabilitation of the slums in
metros.

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

Health risks to slum dwellers

• Contaminated water (cholera , typhoid, etc)

• Inadequate disposal of human wastes
• Wastewater and garbage
• Insects, pests (e.g. rats) and parasites in homes
• Insufficient living spaces, poor ventilation and overcrowding
• Children at risk from traffic, unsafe or contaminated sites
• Indoor air pollution

• House sites vulnerable to landslides or floods

• Nutritional deficiencies

• No or inadequate health care and advice

• No emergency services

• High rates of mental illness and suicide

Dharavi - Mumbai's Shadow City

Dharavi is routinely called "the largest slum in Asia,"

A slum of about1 million people , where as many as 18,000 people crowd into a
single acre (0.4 hectares).
 Solutions

Short term

• Rehabilitation of major slums in better hygienic places

• Re construction of the middle level slums in the same

area with proper drainage system and water supply.

• Provision of basic amenities, medical and health care,

education to eradicate poverty completely.

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

 Slum removal
Some city governments and
state officials have simply
sought to remove slums. This
strategy for dealing with
slums is rooted in the fact
that slums typically start
illegally on someone else’s
land property, and they are
not recognized by the state.

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 Slum relocation Slum relocation strategies rely on removing
the slums and relocating the slum poor to
free semi-rural peripheries of cities,
sometimes in free housing.
Slum upgrading The approach seeks to upgrade the slum
with basic infrastructure such as sanitation,
safe drinking water, safe electricity
distribution, paved roads, rain water
drainage system, and bus/metro stops.

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 Slum Policies in India

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

 Initiatives
Different Governments have different ways to handle the
problem of growing slums.
Various NGOs are also taking initiatives to help govt in
dealing with this issue.

Agencies like Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal

Mission (JNNURM) and Slum Rehabilitation Authority
(SRA) plan the Rehabilitation of the slums in metros.

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HUMANITIES Introduction to Sociology Aswathy M S Module 4

 Solutions

Long term

• The objective should be to reduce the migration from

rural areas.

• Providing the basic amenities and better opportunities

in rural areas

• Encouraging agricultural and small scale industries.

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 Is it

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