Meaning of Rural Sociology
Rural sociology is a field of sociology that is connected with the study of social life in rural areas. India is basically a land of villages. Rural sociology is the sociology of the village or village society. It is a branch of sociology which studies rural society. Rural sociology studies the relations of the people who live in the villages.
It is just like a mirror of the rural social life. It provides a detailed study of knowledge about different aspects of rural life, its problems, its culture, its religion, and its economic and political life.
The Indian society has euphoria for village life. The village society is considered as the backbone of Indian society. Millions of money have been spent on the development of villages. The basic aim of the study of rural sociology is to make the village people self-sufficient and also link them with the wider society at regional and national levels.
Due to historical reasons, the existing Indian rural society has become a veritable mosaic of various types of rural societies and hence reveals a diversified cultural pattern. To reconstruct our rural society, it is urgently necessary to study not only the economic forces but also the social, the ideological and oilier forces operating in our society. It is a very complex and colossal task.
Definition of Rural Sociology:
1. According to Sanderson, “Rural sociology is the sociology of rural life in the rural environment.”
2. Bertand says, “Rural sociology is that study of human relationships in rural environment.”
3. T.L. Smith, “Such sociological facts and principles as are derived from the study of rural social relationships may be referred to as rural sociology.”
4. F.S Chapin, “The sociology of rural life is a study of rural population, rural social organization, and the rural social processes operative in rural society.”
The above definitions clearly justify that rural sociology studies the social interactions, institutions and activities and social changes that take place in the rural society. It studies the rural social organizations, structure and set up. In other words, it can be said that rural sociology acts as a reflection of the rural social life and provides the norms and values that govern the rural society. It provides a clear picture of the rural population and the difference they possess from the urban population.
Origin and Development of Rural Sociology in India
Rural sociology is relatively novel branch of sociology. It is originated in the United States of America in the form of systematic science in the year 1820. It has taken more than half a century to become established as a distinct academic need or professional study.
In the year 1907, rural sociology seems to be started its growth. At that time, American President Roosevelt emphasized on the study of rural sociology and rural social problem.
In 1911, a Rural Sociology Department was established in American Sociological Society. In 1919, a Rural Sociology Department was established under the auspices of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics under the leadership of Dr. C.J. Golpin. The name was later changed to “Rural Population and Rural Life.” A quarterly named “Rural Sociology” was published in 1936.
In India, only after the independence literature on rural society has been on the increase. After independence, during the first five-year plan, strategies were made for the upliftment of the condition of rural people.
In 1955, prominent village studies by famous sociologists were brought out in India. It was suggested that there was a need of rural reconstruction and welfare. Therefore community development programmes came into the scene. Planning Commission has introduced several projects, land reforms, co-operative movement, five-year plans, Panchayat Raj etc.
These plans and programmes have contributed a lot towards the development of rural sociology in India. Different sociologists have made their original contributions in the field of rural sociology in India. Among them are Dr. D. N. Majumdar, Prof. N. K. Bose, Prof. M.N. Srinivas, S. C. Dube etc. are the pioneers.
Before independence, many studies were also conducted about village life in India. In 1926, Royal Commission on Agriculture was set up. World war I saw agrarian crisis and began to draw the attention of the scholars towards rural India. George Keating’s and Harold Mann in Bombay, Gilbert Slater in Madras and E.V. Lucas in Punjab initiated intensive studies of particular villages.
In the meanwhile, Viswa Bharati set up a Rural Reconstruction Board. In 1932 Scottish Church College, Calcutta published accounts of village life. But all these studies before independence remained isolated. Only after 1947, our nation decided to have planned development.
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