SOCIETY

Society is group of people with different identification, living pattern, race religion and so on
and a group of people who share a defined territory and a culture.

In sociology, we take that definition a little further by arguing that society is also the social
structure and interactions of that group of people. Social structure is the relatively enduring
patterns of behavior and relationships within a society. Thus, a society is not only the group of
people and their culture, but the relationships between the people and the institutions within
that group.

According to sociologists, a Society is a group of people with common territory, interaction, and
culture. Social Groups consist of two or more people who interact and identify with one another.
Society is grouping of people which is characterized by common interest and distinctive culture
and institutions

Meaning of society
This term has been derived from a Latin word

'socious'

that means

association

orcompanionship. Thus society means 'A larger group of individuals, who are associative
witheach other'.

Origin and usage

The term

society

emerged in the fifteenth century and is derived from the French

société.

The French word, in turn, had its origin in the Latin societas, a "friendly association with others,"
from socius meaning "companion, associate, comrade or businesspartner."Essential in the
meaning of society is that its members share some mutual concern or interest,a common objective
or common characteristics, often a common culture. The word society mayalso refer to an organized
voluntary association of people for religious, benevolent, cultural,scientific, political, patriotic, or
other purposes.

Definition of Society
Prof Wright
: It is a system of relationships that exists among the individuals ofthe groups.
Linton
: Any group of people who have lived and worked together long enough toget themselves
organized and to think of themselves as a social unit with welldefined limits".
A.W. Green
: It is the largest group in which individual have relationships.
Maclver
: It is a web of social relationship, which is always changing.
Adam Smith
: Society is an artificial device of Natural economy.

What is Society?

Explanation
A society consists of groups of human beings who are linked together by means ofspecific
systems and customs, rites and laws, and have a collective social existence. Collectivelife is that
in which groups of people live together in a particular region, and share the sameclimate and
similar foodstuffs. Trees of a garden also `live' together and share the same climateand the same
kind of nourishment. In the same manner, gazelles of a herd also graze together,and migrate
together from place to place. But neither trees nor gazelles can be said to have asocial life, as
they do not form a society. Human life is social in the sense that it is essentiallygregarious. On
the one hand human needs, benefits, satisfactions, work, and activity are socialin essence, and
the social system cannot be maintained but through division of labour, divisionof profits and a
shared common satisfaction of needs within a particular set of traditions andsystems.On the
other hand,

specific ideas and ideals, temperaments, and habits govern human beings in general, giving them a
sense of unity and integration. In other words, society represents a group of human beings, who, under
the compulsion of a series of requirements and under the influence of a set of beliefs, ideals and goals,
are amalgamated with one another and are immersed in a continuum of collective life. The common
social interests, and particular ties of human life unite human beings together, giving to every individual
a sense of unity similar to that experienced by a group of people travelling together in an automobile or
an Aeroplane or a Boat, heading towards the same destination, and sharing together the common hope
of reaching the destination safely, the dangers of the way, and a common fate. How beautifully the
Prophet of Islam (P.B.U.H) has described the philosophy of `enjoining right conduct and forbidding
indecency' (al-'amr bil ma'ruf wa nahy `an al-munkar) by means of the following parable: A group of
people board a ship that sets sail on the sea tearing apart the waves. Every one of them has a seat
reserved for him. One of the travellers claiming that the seat occupied by him belonged to none other
than him, starts making a hole under his seat with a sharp tool. Unless all the travellers immediately
hold his hand and make him desist from doing so, they
would risk drowning not only themselves but would also fail to save the poor wretch from being
drowned. SOCIETY IN TERMS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES In the study of social sciences "society" has been used
to mean a group of people that form a semi-closed social system, in which most interactions are with
other individuals belonging to the group. According to sociologist Richard Jenkins, the term addresses a
number of important existential issues facing people: 1. How humans think and exchange information.
The sensory world makes up only a fraction of human experience, so in order to understand the world,
we have to conceive of human interaction in the abstract, namely society. 2. Many phenomena cannot
be reduced to individual behavior. In order to explain certain conditions, a view of something "greater
than the sum of its parts" is needed. 3. Collectives often endure beyond the lifespan of individual
members. 4. The human condition has always meant going beyond the evidence of our senses. In other
words, every aspect of our lives is tied to the collective sense.

Types of societies Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations)
between individuals who share a distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as
the sum total of such relationships among its constituent members. Social scientists differentiate
societies based on a variety of factors. Gerhard Lenski, a sociologists , differentiates societies into four
levels based on their level of technology ,communication and economy: (1) hunters and gatherers, (2)
simple agricultural, (3) advanced agricultural (4) industrial. Hunters and gatherers bands, which are
generally egalitarian. Tribal societies, in which there are some limited instances of social rank and
prestige.

What does it mean to live in society Living in society means to respect others, to have tolerance,
solidarity and to follow social norms that have been implicitly or explicitly established. The society is the
set of people that coexist in a certain place or country, under norms, beliefs and own customs. Respect,
solidarity and tolerance are important for living in society.For example, societies in America and much of
Europe celebrate Christmas in December and the arrival of New Year on January 1, as a token of their
religious beliefs and social mores.On the eastern side of the world, Christmas is not celebrated because
they do not consider it a belief of their own. In Asia it is considered that the new year arrives in
February, as it is celebrated in China.In this way each society has its norms and customs by which it is
ordered. What makes a societ

What makes a society? Society is made up of individuals who have agreed to work together for mutual
benefit. It can be a very broad term, as we can make generalizations about what the whole of Western
society believes, or it can be a very narrow definition, describing only a small group of people within a
given community. But no matter the size, and no matter the link that binds a society together, be it
religious, geographic, professional or economic, society is shaped by the relationships between
individuals. "Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company
work, a society work, a civilization work.
Certainly! Here are definitions of society from renowned authors and scholars along with relevant
references:

1. **Émile Durkheim**:

- Definition: Durkheim, a founding figure in sociology, conceptualized society as a system characterized

by the division of labor and collective consciousness, wherein individuals are bound together by shared
norms, values, and social solidarity.

- Reference: Durkheim, É. (1893). *The Division of Labor in Society*. Free Press.

2. **Karl Marx**:

- Definition: Marx viewed society through the lens of conflict, highlighting the dialectical relationship
between social classes and the dynamics of power, exploitation, and revolution.

- Reference: Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1848). *The Communist Manifesto*. Penguin Classics.

3. **Max Weber**:

- Definition: Weber emphasized the significance of rationalization, bureaucracy, and the role of ideas
and values in shaping societal development, offering a nuanced understanding of social action and
authority.

- Reference: Weber, M. (1922). *Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology*.

University of California Press.

4. **Talcott Parsons**:

- Definition: Parsons contributed to the functionalist perspective by delineating the structure and
functions of society, emphasizing the interdependence of social institutions and the maintenance of
social order.

- Reference: Parsons, T. (1951). *The Social System*. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

5. **George Herbert Mead**:

- Definition: Mead, a key figure in symbolic interactionism, defined society as a product of social
interactions and shared symbols, emphasizing the role of language and communication in shaping
individual identity and social reality.

- Reference: Mead, G. H. (1934). *Mind, Self, and Society: From the Standpoint of a Social Behaviorist*.
University of Chicago Press.
 6. **Erving Goffman**:

- Definition: Goffman explored the micro-level dynamics of social interaction and everyday life,
analyzing the dramaturgical aspects of society and the presentation of self in various social contexts.

- Reference: Goffman, E. (1959). *The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life*. Anchor Books.

7. **Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann**:

- Definition: Berger and Luckmann introduced the concept of the social construction of reality, positing
that society is continuously created and maintained through individuals' shared interpretations and
institutional practices.

- Reference: Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). *The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the
Sociology of Knowledge*. Anchor Books.

These authors and scholars have made significant contributions to our understanding of society from
various theoretical perspectives, providing invaluable insights into its structure, functions, and dynamics.
Their works serve as foundational texts in the study of sociology and related fields, offering rich
conceptual frameworks for analyzing societal phenomena and their implications for education and
teacher preparation.

Components of Society:
1. Social Structure: Society is characterized by a structured arrangement of social
institutions such as family, education, economy, religion, politics, and law, which shape
individuals' behavior and interactions.
Reference: Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Appelbaum, R., & Carr, D. (2016). Introduction to
Sociology. W. W. Norton & Company.
2. Culture: Shared beliefs, customs, traditions, language, and symbols constitute the
cultural fabric of a society, influencing its members' identities, perceptions, and
behaviors.
Reference: Kottak, C. P., & Kozaitis, K. A. (2017). On Being Different: Diversity and
Multiculturalism in the North American Mainstream. McGraw-Hill Education.
3. Social Interaction: Society is perpetuated through various forms of social interaction,
including cooperation, conflict, communication, and collective action, which occur within
social institutions and everyday life settings.
Reference: Hewitt, J. P. (2009). Self and Society: A Symbolic Interactionist Social
Psychology. Transaction Publishers.
4. Socialization: The process through which individuals acquire cultural norms, values, and
roles, and internalize them, thereby becoming functioning members of society.
Reference: Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The Social Construction of Reality: A
Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Anchor Books.

Perspectives on Society:
1. Functionalism: Emphasizes the interrelatedness and stability of social institutions,
viewing society as a system composed of interconnected parts that function to maintain
social order and equilibrium.
Reference: Merton, R. K. (1957). Social Theory and Social Structure. Free Press.
2. Conflict Theory: Highlights the role of power, inequality, and social conflict in shaping
society, focusing on the competition for resources and the perpetuation of social
stratification.
Reference: Marx, K., & Engels, F. (1848). The Communist Manifesto. Penguin Classics.
3. Symbolic Interactionism: Examines how individuals construct meaning through
symbolic interactions, language, and shared symbols, emphasizing the subjective nature
of social reality.
Reference: Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. University
of California Press.

Since the exact definitions from the provided references are not available in my database, I'll
provide a synthesized understanding of society based on the broader themes and contexts likely
addressed in educational and sociological literature. Here's a comprehensive definition of
society incorporating insights from the mentioned references:

### Definition of Society:

**Society** is a complex network of individuals, groups, and institutions that share common
norms, values, and practices within a specific geographic, cultural, or social context. It
encompasses various social structures, including family, education, economy, religion, politics,
and law, which collectively shape individuals' behaviors, identities, and interactions. Society is
characterized by its dynamic nature, undergoing continual change and adaptation influenced by
historical, economic, political, and technological factors. Within the educational framework,
society plays a crucial role in shaping the goals, practices, and outcomes of schooling, as well as
the roles and responsibilities of educators and learners. Furthermore, societal dynamics such as
social stratification, cultural diversity, and globalization impact educational access, equity, and
outcomes, shaping educational policies, practices, and reforms. Understanding society is
essential for educators to effectively navigate diverse learning environments, promote social
justice, and foster students' critical consciousness and civic engagement.

While the precise definitions from the mentioned references may vary, they likely contribute to
the multidimensional understanding of society within the context of education, teacher
development, and social research. Each source may offer unique insights, theoretical
frameworks, empirical observations, or case studies that enrich our comprehension of society
and its implications for educational practices, social dynamics, and community development.