Relationship between Rural Sociology and Sociology

Rural sociology is a specialized branch of Sociology with scope of making extensive and intensive survey and investigation of the rural society. It is also an object of rural sociology to study the peculiar characteristics of rural society problems or rural people in the most micro-way’. Such a study cannot be expected in general sociology wherein the urban societies are also given equal weight age and coverage.

Rural sociology attempts an extensive as well as intensive investigation of the rural problems. In comparison to the urban societies, the rural society is much more complicated and vast. Though, it shares some common features with the urban society.

So vast is the scope of rural society its peculiarities and problems that it is not possible for the general sociology to do justice to all these aspects of rural society. It is rather impossible for the general sociology to fully investigate and explore the rural problems and the rural way of life.

To explain the manner in which the two disciplines differ and the way the peculiar problems  of these can be at most appropriately, touched by general sociology we may refer to the problems of ‘Slums’ and Hookah Club. The problem of slum is peculiar to cities and will be studied adequately by urban Sociology alone whereas ‘Hookah Club’ exists only in a village and this has no role to play in urban life. Both urban and rural society shares a common approach and adopts similar methods but there is sizable difference between the two.  As the subject matter is concerned both study social events, actions and organizations. But whereas sociology is indifferent to the geographic and environmental factors and tries to grasp the most general laws of social action and organization, the rural and urban sociologists study the same in their environment, that is, whether a problem or event occurs in rural or urban context. Furthermore, while the scope of rural sociology assimilate both rural and urban life and also extends far beyond. Thus, rural sociology is a specialized discipline of sociology; on the other hand, sociology is a general science.

In short, whereas there is a common approach of both the subjects of study when each pursues the subject matter; there is vast difference between their scopes.

Refernces

Rural Sociology by Dr. G. Das