Social Institutions: Continuity and Change
Indian Society, Unit II. Covers Family and kinship; The caste system; Tribal society; The market as a social institution.
About this unit
This unit examines the major institutions that organise Indian social life: family and kinship, caste, tribal community and the market. Each has a long history, yet each has changed under colonial rule, nation-building, economic growth and new ideas. The unit asks how far these institutions have continued and how far they have been transformed.
Key ideas
- Family types: nuclear and extended; matrilineal and patrilineal; matrilocal and patrilocal
- Caste as varna and jati, governed by endogamy, hereditary occupation and purity-pollution rules
- Colonial and post-independence changes in caste, including its "invisibility" for the privileged
- Tribes classified by permanent traits (region, language, physical features) and acquired traits (livelihood, degree of assimilation)
- The isolation-versus-integration debate over tribal policy
- Markets as social institutions embedded in caste, kinship and culture
How to prepare
Memorise key terms and the scholars linked to them, such as M.N. Srinivas and the dominant caste, or Alfred Gell's study of a tribal weekly market. Practise applying definitions to short case situations, for example identifying the family type in a described household. Know examples like the Khasi and Nayar for matrilineal kinship.
Topics in this chapter
Family and kinship
Types of family and changes in kinship.
5 questionsThe caste system
Caste in the past and present.
5 questionsTribal society
Tribal communities and their classification.
5 questionsThe market as a social institution
Markets, society and economy.
5 questions