The Regional Approach

A region is a geographic area or unit having certain limits and bounds. Regional Approach undertakes a large territorial or geographical unit as its subject of study. There are several villages within a region. In geographical studies, the concept of a region plays an important role.

A region was defined by Dr. Bernard purely from the sociological point of view as ‘an area’ in which a consciousness of individuality has been developed by the combined influence of historical and environmental factors. From this definition, given by Dr. Bernard following three aspects of a region may be understood.

• Homogeneity in more than one aspect is exhibited by the region.
• People are well aware of the uniqueness of their region.
• Every region is in an area with a core.

Today, one of the significant aspects from which rural social life is increasingly being analyzed is the ‘aspect of its spatial organization.’ The discussion and analysis include the questions like, ‘What factors determine the growth of varied types of villages, what factors operate to combine a cluster of villagers into an agrarian region, what factors tend to transform an agrarian region into a cultural, linguistic, or political region, and how do regions evolve into and provide these problems are of considerable significance in the study of rural society.’
 

There are many factors responsible for regional variations. Attempts have been made by sociologists to locate the factors explaining this process. Some of the important factors, ‘which have determined the structural pattern of the village the formation of regional and other bigger units, and the interrelations of the village with those units, are as follows:

• Natural conditions like relief, configurations, soil water resources, and others;
• The stage of agrarian economy, whether it is the nomadic stage, the stage of fixed subsistence agriculture, or that commercial agriculture and
• The nature of social conditions such as needs of defense forms of property and others.

The Distinction between Grouped Villages and Dispensed Habitats

From the ecological point of view, the first great division which has been made of village communities is that of ‘nucleated or grouped villages’ and ‘dispersed habitats’. It has been pointed out that such a distinction is vital from the point of view of the study of the entire social life of rural communities. The members of a rural community who dwell in villages have generally stronger social urges, exhibit a stronger feeling of social cohesion, and possess greater ability for cooperation than those who are dispersed and live on their respective farms. Each type of habitat furnishes a different framework for social life. The nucleated village is marked by “proximity, contact, the community of ideas and sentiments” while its dispersed habitats “everything to speak separation, everything marks the fact of dwelling apart.”

Difficulties in the Study of Larger Rural Regions

The study of  “the emergence of a larger rural area’ is one of the most complicated tasks confronting the student of rural society. ‘The factors which have combined to evolve homogeneous rural regions demand a very careful examination. Again we find that the larger rural regions change their characteristics with the change in the techno-economic, socioeconomic, and sociopolitical forces. The epoch of self-sufficiency evolved into one category of regions. Under the impact of the Industrial Revolution and production for the market, a totally new type of rural area came into being. The change from a market economy to a planned economy, where the agrarian sector is consciously developed as a part of the total life of the community, is creating in some countries and will create in other life of the community, is creating in countries and will create in other countries a new type of regional units. And, above, all the gigantic development of productive forces which is evolving an international economic and cultural community in the modern epoch is forcing the students of human society and especially of rural society to discover the appropriate variety of rural regions which will be in consonance with this development.
 

Efforts are on to define economic, linguistic, administrative, religious, and cultural regions in different countries of the world. Efforts are also being made to determine where these regions coincide together with ‘the laws which bring about this concurrence.”

Studies Conducted in the U.S.A.

The studies of Sanderson, Kolb, Taylor and other, sociologists embody an intensive study of rural economic and cultural zones in the U.S.A. these studies have thrown considerable light on the process of the development of such zones. ‘Various studies of primitive tribes-their geographical milieu, technical equipment, economic organization, social institutional structure, religion, arts and culture and, further, their transformation under the impact of communities belonging to various stages of civilized life- also furnish rich material for discovering the laws of rural development. Works dealing with the role of geographical factors such as mountains, rivers, deserts, sea, rainfall, and various species of trees and animals indirectly or directly influencing the nature of the economic organization, social institutions, styles of architecture and beliefs, and other ideological elements of man’s life, also provide valuable clues for a correct understanding of the emergence of varied rural cultures”
Pointing out the significance of the regional approach A.R.Desai writes, 

“The environmental and regional approach will help to distinguish chief village types and village social structures.it will also assist in scientifically classifying principal regional district and provincial units. It will also aid in locating the underlying factors which have operated to create distinct culture-areas. And finally it will help to evolve a systematic account of the evolution of Indian society as a whole.”

Merits of the Regional Approach

The merits of the Regional approach are as under:

1. A regional approach is most suitable in the countries like the USA because it conducts a study of geographical division. In countries like USA broad areas represent cultural uniformity.
2. It helps in developing broad laws for rural development.
3. It is not as time-consuming as the village community approach.
4. This enables the investigator to find out the lifestyle of the people very quickly.

Demerits of the Regional Approach

The regional approach suffers from the following major drawbacks

1. It attempts a general study of village life. The lifestyle of a particular village cannot be grasped through this method.
2. It fails to give the details of the varieties and diversities of village life.
3. Small-scale studies find no place in this approach.

Reference
Rural sociology by Dr. G. Das

Merits and Demerits of Community Approach in the Study of Rural Society

There are two major approaches to the study of rural society, namely (1) the Community Approach and (2) the regional Approach. The style of life and the types of inhabitants of a rural area are the major factors on which the suitability and importance of these two approaches rest. An analysis of the nature of these approaches is essential for evaluating the relative merits and demerits of these two approaches.

The Community Approach

The community approach studies various aspects of village life, both from historical and contemporary perspectives. The unit of study under this approach is a village. A fine example of the study of a village community approach is, the study conducted by Dr. S.C. Dube of the Shamirpet village in Telegu speaking area. Dr. Dube attempts a round study of the village, namely its historical, geographical, cultural, social, and economic, aspects of life. In another study, Dr. S.C. Dube found that “160 out of 189 farmer families in a village hold less than five acres of land. Thus, the farmers have hardly spare sufficient marketing.”
 

The studies carried on by Dr. Dube and other sociologists establish at the very outset that Indian culture in ancient times was a highly rich culture in the world. The villages in general like the village studied by Dr. Dube, are inhabited by a large number of Hindu castes and enjoy a particular type of complex migration. The village studied through this approach comes out as a unit of the wide social spectrum and political security.  Traditions, both regional and local influence the life of villagers. Every aspect of the village life including the dress, festivals, speech, manner, and even the construction of the house clearly reflects the culture of the area. However, Dr. Dube stresses that in every case, the village represents the cultural area.
 

The study of Indian villages conducted through a community approach reveals the following facts:

• A village is a distinct unity and the term village signifies territorial, ritual, and economic unit.
• A village has a composite population inhabiting individuals belonging to different religions and castes.
•  The village people feel as well as exert mutual obligation towards one another.

Merits of the Community Approach

The merits of the community approach are as under:

1. A study conducted through a community approach gives us a comprehensive picture of the life of village people in a particular village.
2. The varieties of village culture and its diversities are discovered through this method. 
3. The approach facilitates several small-scale studies of many villages which may be compared to find out the common elements and uniformity in their life.
4. The position of a village in its region is easily established through this method.
5. This approach is the most suitable for studying villages in remote areas and isolated environments.

Demerits of the community Approach

The community approach suffers from certain drawbacks. Some of these weaknesses are:

1. The village community approach is time-consuming, expensive, and lengthy.
2. The laws of rural development are not supplied by the approach. It only provides the particular position of these laws.
3. It fails to give the picture of life quickly.
4. The approach is based on the wrong presumptions that a village is representative of a region or area. It is not always true to presume it.

Reference
Rural Sociology by Dr. G. Das

Relationship between Rural Sociology and Economics

Economics deals with human activities the aim of which is to use natural resources to produce goods and direct them toward the satisfaction of human needs and wants. Adam smith called it the science of wealth to meet and satisfy human demands goods are produced and distributed which are ultimately consumed and thus the process of satisfaction of needs, wants and desires continues. There are circumstances in which the demand goes up where as in another set of circumstances it decreases. It is within the scope of economics to study the mechanisms of demand and supply and other factors which influence the relationship between supply and demand. It also seeks to find out how can there be equitable distribution of wealth.

To seek to answer the questions like. Is it possible to remove disparities? What are the economic and social consequences of economic disparities etc.?

Should a country adopt industrialization and cover every phase and corner of a country? Is it preferable to localize the industries at a few selected places?

Rural economics has grown into a complete subject. Rural economics in fact deals with what is also termed agricultural economics. The study of the economics of villages can reveal suggestions to improve the agricultural produce by the use of new techniques and better implements but no economic strategy can be applied without fully understanding and overcoming the opposition of tradition and patently repugnant rural psychology.

Therefore, the achievements of any economic program presuppose a penetration into the psychological attitudes of village life and in this regard, rural sociology comes to the rescue of economics.

The economic activities affect deeply the social life of the villages. The nature and distribution of land holdings, the system of following, the problem of rural indebtedness of small farmers and labor, and inadequate means of livelihood of a majority of villagers particularly landless labor are some of the economic factors, which deeply influence and affect the rural society. In orthodoxy, traditionalism, and opposition of the rural people to any social change without adequate study of these economic factors it is not easy to understand rural society. It is difficult to devise ways and means to bring changes in its structure.

In the field of nature and subject matter, rural sociology and economics are deeply interrelated and interwoven. Whereas rural sociology investigates and studies the economic life and structure of rural society from a social and human viewpoint; when economics investigates the rural society and its structure and functions from the economic viewpoint. Thus there is a difference between the approaches of the two subjects.

Relationship between Rural Sociology and Political Science

Rural Sociology and political science are closely related subjects. Weinberg and Shabat say: “Political science is the study of the ways in which a society organizes and operates a state.” From this inter point political science appears to be sociology. The elements of rural health, education, religion, economic structure and organization, family system, etc. are constitutional rural sociology. In like manner, political institutions, associations, and organizations are the elements that constitute the subject matter of the science of state and government i.e. political science.

In political science studies the institution of Panchayat, various subsidiary Panchayat associations, District Board, Area Committee, etc. from the political viewpoint. The institutions constitute elements of rural society and rural sociology studies them from the social interpoint.

The approach of political science towards certain institutions entrusted with the task of rural administration and justice is narrow and limited to strictly political implications. Rural sociology attempts a board’s approach toward these institutions. And it is a matter of fact that it is impossible to study and understand the rural political institution in isolation from social institutions preventing. Therefore, knowledge of rural sociology is essential for a student of political science to understand fully the system of rural government and its administration. So, political science and sociology are closely interlinked branches of social science.

Besides the similarities between rural sociology discussed above, these are seeking differences between the two subjects. To a nation, whereas rural sociology studies political, social, religious, and cultural institutions, political science studies only political institutions. “in political science we should accept the facts of sociology”.

Relationship between Rural and Urban Sociology

The economic and topographic view of the society divides it into two groups or communities employed either in agriculture sector or industrial sector. There exists relative difference in the density of population. These two groups are rural and urban and that the former going is less dense and engaged primarily in agriculture as profession where the latter group is more dense and engaged basically in the industry. It is to be noted that the study of one group involves necessary reference to the other group. Therefore if one sets to study Rural Sociology, he can do so accurately, scientifically and usefully only if he is able to understand the differences of scope and aim of rural and urban sociology precisely and doubtlessly. Thus the relation of rural and urban sociology is factual. It is not possible to have one without the other. To put it more precisely fields of study are complementary to each other. It is rather impossible to study either of these, in complete isolation.

So, we can study rural sociology effectively only by drawing upon urban sociology and working in close cooperation with it. Their subject matter is interlinked and interdependent. In order to have a complete knowledge of the village life, one has to study urban life and vice versa. Since the distinguishing characteristics of rural society can only be brought into light by comparing and contrasting these peculiarities with the chief characteristics of the urban society. The village life is affected by the economic and social factors of urban society. It is not possible to understand either of these exclusively and in isolation. Therefore it is apt to say that “the studies of rural as well as urban sociology are possible only if both are there.” It is commonly agreed that no study of a society can be complete unless it takes into account the life of its people in the villages as well as those living in cities and towns. It is here two sociology. i.e. Rural and Urban become complementary to each other.