Syllabus of Sociology Paper - II

INDIAN SOCIETY: STRUCTURE AND CHANGE

A. Introducing Indian Society:

• Perspectives on the Study of Indian Society:

(a) Indology (G.S. Ghure).
Six features of caste
Criticism
(b) Structural functionalism
(M. N. Srinivas).
Sanskritization
Dominant caste
Criticism
Caste,class and power
(c) Marxist sociology (A. R. Desai).

• Impact of colonial rule on Indian society:

(a) Social background of Indian nationalism.
(The subaltern view, indological perspective etc)
(b) Modernization of Indian tradition.
(c) Protests and movements during the colonial period.
(d) Social reforms.

B. Social Structure:

• Rural and Agrarian Social Structure:

(a) The idea of Indian village and village studies
Jajmani system
Analysis of Panchayati Raj institutions
73rd and 74th constitutional amendement
Role of cooperatives in poverty alleviation
(b) Agrarian social structure— evolution of land tenure system, land reforms.
Key features of land reforms
Effectiveness of land reforms
• Caste System:
(a) Perspectives on the study of caste systems:
Caste-Origin theories
G. S. Ghurye,
M. N. Srinivas: Sanskritization,Ritual and secular hierarchy
Louis Dumont:Purity and Pollution(Impure) theory
Andre Beteille.

(b) Features of caste system.

Anuloma and Pratiloma
Jajmani system
Relationship between caste and varna
Difference between caste and class
Mobility in caste system
Caste among non hindu communities
Caste based census

(c) Untouchability-forms and perspectives

Ambedkar Vs Gandhi debate
Constitution, law and social changes
Dalit movements before independence
Dalit movements post independence
Contemporary trends in dalit movements
Challenges faced by dalit movements
Issue of Reservation

• Tribal Communities in India:

(a) Definitional problems.
Tribes and castes
Classification of tribes
(b) Geographical spread.
(c) Colonial policies and tribes.
(d) Issues of integration and autonomy.
Important tribal uprisings
Three policy approaches for tribal development
Tribal religious conversions
Constitutional provisions for tribal development
Committees established for tribal development

• Social Classes in India:

(a) Agrarian class structure.
(b) Industrial class structure.
(c) Middle classes in India.
Definitional problems of middle class
Historical evolution of Indian middle class
Political role of middle class
New Middle class

• Systems of Kinship in India:

(a) Lineage and descent in India.
Definitions
Different kinds of descent in India
(b) Types of kinship systems.
Consanguinal kin and Affinal kin
Kinship zones in India(Irawati karve)

(c) Family and marriage in India.

Joint family system and its variations
Changes in family structure in India
Marriage within different religions
Issue of surrogacy
The issue of abortion

(d) Household dimensions of the family.

Various types of households
(e) Patriarchy, entitlements, and sexual division of labour.
Patriarchy in family structure
Patriarchy and Religion
Patriarchy and caste
Patriarchy and politics
Patriarchy and Media
Women's movement in India
Challenges before feminist movement in India
Constitutional provisions for women empowerment
Current issues revolving around rape, triple talaq, love jihad

• Religion and Society:

(a) Religious communities in India.
Various religious communities in India and interaction between them
Socio religious movement during the colonial period
(b) Problems of religious minorities.
Religious minorities in India

C. Social Changes in India:

• Visions of Social Change in India:

(a) Idea of development planning and mixed economy.
LPG reforms and its impact
Globalisation and its impact on India
Critical assessment of globalization
(b) Constitution, law, and social change.
Constitutional provisions triggering social change
Contemporary issues like reservation on economic basis, Maratha reservation
etc
(c) Education and social change.
Functionalist and structural functionalist perspective
Colonial policy on Education
National Education Policy, 2020
Evaluation of India's Education system
Views on Education: Gandhi,Tagore,Nehru,Ambedkar,Sri Aurobindo,Dr S
Radhakrishnan,other prominent scholars
Effects of pandemic on Education

• Rural and Agrarian Transformation in India:

(a) Programmes of rural development, Community Development Programme,
cooperatives, poverty alleviation schemes.
Village studies
Views of Gandhi and Ambedkar on villages
Academic view on villages
Land reforms and its consequences
(b) Green revolution and social change.
Impact on Indian society
Political impact
(c) Changing modes of production in Indian agriculture.
Feudal agrarian society and Capitalist industrial society
Contemporary trends in Indian agriculture
Challenges facing Indian farmers and solutions
Agrarian class structure pre and post independence

(d) Problems of rural labour, bondage, migration.

Phule on Agrarian labour
Bonded labour
Steps taken for elimination of bonded labour
Problems of migration
Pandemic induced migration

• Industrialization and Urbanisation in India:

(a) Evolution of modern industry in India.
Pre and post independence history of modern industries in India. (LPG Reforms
etc)
Views of Gandhi and Nehru on modern industries.

(b) Growth of urban settlements in India.

Factors of urbanisation
Theories of urban settlement(Concentric rings theory, Sector theory, Multiple
Nuclei)
Rural urban continuum
Universalization and parochialization
Impacts of urbanisation
Urban issues like slums, sanitation etc
Contemporary issues like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Smart cities etc

(c) Working class: structure, growth, class mobilization.

Evolution of working class in India
Nature of working class in India
Working class movements in India
Impact of globalisation on working class

(d) Informal sector, child labour.

Social implications of child labour
Constitutional provisions
Effects of pandemic on child labour
Gender division of labour\ feminization of labour
(e) Slums and deprivation in urban areas.
Issues surrounding prevalence of slums
Possible solutions to the prevalent problems
Challenges during and post pandemic
Possibilities of slum reforms

• Politics and Society:

(a) Nation, democracy and citizenship.
Evolution of Indian political system
Democracy in Indian and the western context
Vote bank politics

(b) Political parties, pressure groups, social and political elite.

Caste and Indian politics
Caste based political movements

(c) Regionalism and decentralization of power.

Causative factors fostering regionalism in India
Positives and negatives of regionalism in India
(d) Secularization.
Indian definition of secularism
Causative factors for Indian secularism

• Social Movements in Modern India:

(a) Peasants and farmers' movements.
Movements during colonial period
Post independence movements
New farmer movement
Contemporary issues like Farm law agitation
(b) Women’s movement.
(c) Backward classes & Dalit movements.
(d) Environmental movements.
(e) Ethnicity and Identity movements.

• Population Dynamics:
Population size, growth, composition and distribution
World population trend
Components of population growth: birth, death, migration.
Determinants of population growth
Causes and consequences of migration
Population Policy and family planning.
Phases in population growth in India.
Population policy in India and its assessment
Family welfare programs
Emerging issues: ageing, sex ratios, child and infant mortality, reproductive
health.
Social problems faced by the elderly
MMR and IMR
Issues surrounding contraceptives and usage
Population control bill
Lessons from China
National policy for senior citizens
• Challenges of Social Transformation:
(a) Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and
sustainability.
Sociological perspective on pandemic
Summits on sustainable development
Environmental movements in India
Ideological strands of environmental movements
Ecological feminism
(b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
Defining poverty
Measures taken to reduce poverty
(c) Violence against women.
Cyber Sexual harassment
Contemporary issues like recent murders of women by partners(Shraddha
Walker murder case etc)
Patriarchial bargain
(d) Caste conflicts.
(e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
Colonial reasons behind the conflict
Terrorism as a new form of asymmetrical warfare
Current issues like Love Jihad, Riots Ethnicity and Race
Racial hate
Cultural revivalism
(f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.
Measures to reduce disparities in education
Contemperory issues like online education, the digital divide