Importance of Rural Sociology

Major portion of Bangladesh is constituted of rural areas. Where, about eighty percent of the Bangladeshi people still live in the villages. The truth is that even the urban population is constituted by the migrating from the rural areas to the towns and cities and also many villages have grown into towns. Villages have been the fountain head of Bangladeshi culture; Bangladesh’s economy is predominately agricultural. In our country it is not possible to achieve a political ‘awakening without redeeming the rural population from its obscurity.’

It is strongly felt that it is essential to understand and to act according to the laws prevailing in the village if the objective is to achieve is to achieve progress of the villages and in such a circumstance only the rural population be able to create the development plans of their own and offer their co-operation. This makes it essential to attempt a special study of the rural society. “In order to effect a desirable change in the rural institutions and communities, the laws introduced against their laws will be an imposition which will not be able to attain permanency. Without understanding the special features, qualities and defects of the rural religion and culture the village level workers will not be successful in effecting rural reconstruction.’ It is essential to study the attitude, customs and practices of the rural people.

The importance of rural sociology is far greater in Bangladesh. In the theoretical background of the plans devised the country’s progress the study of rural society is essential to achieve objectives and such a study will reveal the conditioning factors which govern the development, change and control of society. These factors will have to be kept in mind if the plans for the villages are to be successful.

The discussion leads to the stage which emphasis the urgent need to study the rural community in a comprehensive way. Following reasons put forward the highlight the importance of the study.

According to A. R. Desai, It is ‘urgently necessary to make scientific and systematic study of the rural society, of its economic foundation and social and cultural superstructure, of its institutions and their functions, of the problems arising from the rapid process of disintegration which is undergoing and which even threatens its breakdown.”

1. Bangladesh is a classic land of agriculture. Its long past history, its complex social organization and religious life, its varied cultural pattern, can hence be understood only if a proper study is made of the rise, growth crystallization and subsequent fossilization and breakup of the self-sufficient village community, the principal pivot of the Bangladesh society only till recently.
2. Due to historical reasons, the existing Bangladesh rural society has become a veritable mosaic of various types of rural societies and hence reveals a diversified cultural pattern. The culture of the hunting and food gathering tribes; the culture of the primitive hoe-agriculturists; further, all the varied culture of people engaged in agrarian production with the plough and the bullock, as also the modern culture of a rural people influenced by new technical and economic forces-all these cultures are juxtaposed in the contemporary by the ideological currents of the rural humanity is also being influenced by the ideological currents of the rural humanity is also  being influenced by the ideological currents of the rural humanity is also being influenced by the ideological currents of the modern era. Consequently we find in the Bangladesh rural world today, the persistence of primitive cults of magic and animism, polyeism, pantheism of the ancient world, monotheism and other idealistic philosophic world outlooks inherited from the ancient medieval periods as also a minor current of modern rationalist world view. This has transformed it into a veritable museum of different and even conflicting cults and ideologies.
3. The unique agrarian socioeconomic structure of Bangladesh experienced a decisive transformation as a result of the impact of the British conquest and rule. On the eve of the British conquest of Bangladesh. Bangladesh rural society was composed of a multitude of villages. Each village lived almost an independent, atomistic, self-sufficient social and economic existence. The village represented a closed society based on economic autarchy and social life governed by case and community rules.

Refernces

Rural sociology by Dr. G. Das