Origin and Development of Village

A village is the most ancient form of human life togetherness. According to Desai “The village is the unit of the rural society. It is the theater wherein the quantum of rural life unfolds itself and functions.’ 

He further adds that “Like every social phenomenon the village is a certain stage in the evolution of the life of man, its further growth and development in subsequent periods of human history, the varied structural changes it experienced during thousands of years of its existence, the rapid and basic transformation it has undergone during the last hundred and fifty years since the Industrial Revolution all these constitute a very fascinating and challenging study.”

Rise of Villages

Historically, the rise of the village is linked with the rise of the agricultural economy. The emergence of the village revealed that man passed from the nomadic mode of collective life to the life of settled individuals, basically due to the ‘improvement of tools of production which made agriculture easy and hence settled life on a fixed territorial zone possible and necessary”.

It has been one of the most complex problems of social research to find out “How humanity, in different parts of the world, passed from the nomadic hunting and food gathering stage to that based on roving hoe agriculture and thereafter on settled plow agriculture carried on by means of draft animals.”

The invention of the plough and its use led man to develop stable agriculture, the basic source of assured food supply, and man’s nomadic mode of life disappeared. No longer had men roamed in herds from place to place in search of means of subsistence on the contrary they settled on a definite territory and organized villages based on the agricultural economy. There emerged the agrarian communities with villages as their fixed habitation and agriculture as their main occupation and these developments marked a landmark in the history of mankind, inaugurating a higher phase of social existence. Agriculture assured the community, for the first time, a relatively stable food supply in contrast to previous stages of social life. While food supply derived from such sources as hunting, fishing, fruit gathering, and migratory hoe agriculture had always been insufficient and precarious, grain and other types of food products derived from plough agriculture could be counted upon and also be stored for use in periods of emergencies, thereby assuring relative food security for the future.

The development in the field of agriculture brought the struggle for existence to a relatively low level. Consequently at a certain stage of the development of the agricultural economy, due to the greater productivity of agriculture, a section of the community could be liberated from the necessity of participating in food production and could therefore concentrate on the secondary industrial or ideological activity. This gave momentum to the growth of technology, art, sciences, and philosophy, it also brought about, though slowly, the significant transition in the social organization of humanity, from an organization funded on kinship and clan to that based on territorial ties. With the development of agriculture at a certain level, mankind took a leap from optimistic collectivist clan society to territory civil society with its distinct multi-class social structure and the resultant institution of the state.”

This is how Civilization began with the development of agriculture and the village which is the first settled form of

 ‘collective human habitation and the product of the growth of agricultural economy’ pared the way for the rural society, and  from the surplus of its food resources, nourished the town which subsequently came into existence.’

Reference

Rural sociology by Dr. G. Das

Difference between Rural World and Urban World

P. A. Sorokin and C. C. Zimmerman in their “Principles of Rural-Urban Sociology” have given the following decisive differences between rural and urban words:

Topic	Rural World	Urban World
Occupation	The totality of cultivators and their families. In the community are usually a few representatives of several non-agricultural pursuits.	The totality of people engaged principally in manufacturing, mechanical pursuits, trade, commerce, professions, governing, and other non-agricultural occupations.
Environment	The predominance of nature over the anthropic-social environment. Direct relationship to nature.	Greater isolation from nature. The predominance of the man-made environment over natural, poorer aid, stone, and iron.
Size of community	Open farms or small communities, “Agricultural” and size of the community are negatively correlated	As a rule in the same country and in the same period, the size of the urban community is much larger than the rural community. In other words, urbanity and the size of the community are positively correlated.
Density of population	In the same country and at the same period the duty is lower than in the urban community. Generally density and rural are negatively correlated.	Greater than in rural communities. Urbanity and density are positively correlated.
Heterogeneity and homogeneity of the population	Compare with urban populations, rural communities are more homogeneous in racial and psychological traits (Negative correlation with heterogeneity).	More heterogeneous than rural communities (in the same country and at the same time). Urbanity and heterogeneity are positively correlated.
Social differentiation and stratification	Rural differentiation and stratification are less than urban	Differentiation and stratification show a positive correlation with urbanity.
Mobility	Territorial, occupation and other forms of social mobility of the population are comparatively less intensive. Normally the migration current carries more individuals from the country to the city.	More intensive. Urbanity and mobility are positively correlated. Only in periods of social catastrophe is the migration from the city to the country greater than from the country to the city.
System of interaction	Less numerous contacts per man. Narrower area of the interaction system of its members and the whole aggregate. More prominent part is occupied by primary contacts. The predominance of personal and relatively durable relations. Comparative simplicity and sincerity of relations, “man has interacted as a human person”.	More numerous contacts. The wider area of interaction system per aggregate. The predominance of secondary contacts. The predominance of impersonal casual and short live relations. Greater complexity, manifolds, superficiality, and standardized formality of relations. Man has interacted as a “number” and “address”

Various Aspects of Rural Population

One of the foremost tasks of the rural sociologist is to define the rural people and distinguish them from the urban population. Various approaches have been put forward for that purpose by eminent thinkers. The classification adopted by government Census Departments in various countries is, however, generally accepted as the most convenient. However, item classification may vary from one country to another.

Composition of Rural-Urban Population: Ratios

One of the important steps after the identification of the rural populations is to determine the ratio of rural and urban populations. In many countries, this ratio in a great measure points out the level of living of the people as a whole as it reveals the relative ‘proportion of industry and agriculture and hence the total wealth of the people. The ration, further, considerably influences the apportionment of social amenities with the country.’ It thereby works as a guide for evolving a correct program for social progress. One of the great mistakes writes A.R.Desai, committed by a number of reformers and social engineers is to transplant mechanically the techniques adopted for reform in a country inhabited by a small agrarian population and with a vast area of land to a country inhabited by an overwhelmingly agrarian population and with scarce land resources. The effort to introduce steps adopted to improve the farm sector of the U.S. which is overwhelmingly industrial to predominantly agrarian backward countries of Asia is an instance of such an error. Even within the same country, a detailed study of the ratios of rural and urban populations in different regions is essential because these differences considerably alter the nature of problems relating to those regions. The problems vary from state to state in India as the problems of Gujarat and those Bihar are different because there is a difference in the proportion of the ‘rural-urban population’ of these two states. Similar situations arise when we extend our study to other states.

The Density of Rural People

The density of people varies from state to state in India. “Sociologists after adequate investigation have reached the conclusion that the average density beyond a particular limit indicates an undesirable overconcentration of the people in that area. This is because the density of the population affects production and distribution and also generates various social reactions which greatly influence the total life of a society. The density of the population further affects the level the standard of living of the people. A systematic study of the density of the population in different regions and districts in India and also of the proportion of various groups belonging to diverse castes, religions, and vocations which comprise the population, will unfold the variegated picture of the complex social life of the Indian people with all its multiple tensions, antagonisms as well as mutual adjustments among these groups.

Birth and Death Rate-Mortality Factor

Another important aspect of the study of the demography of the rural sector is the study of birth rates, death rates, rates of suicides, specific bodily diseases, and other matters. This study reveals ‘the quantitative and qualitative growth or decline of the rural people. Further, when this study is correlated to that of the social, economic, and religious life processes of various social groups, it provides intelligent and correct criteria for evaluating the norms of those groups.

General Health and Longevity

Besides a study of the ‘death and survival rates’ existing among the rural people, there are also other techniques to determine their vitality such as a study of their ‘general health and longevity.’ Further, ‘estimates of mortality prevailing among separate groups such as infants, females, and old people; upper, lower and middle social strata, and land laborers, farmers, artisans, and other social categories, will give a detailed picture of the vitality of various section of the rural people.’

Age and Sex groups

Age and sex groups are other important aspect of the life of a population that requires a close sty in their distribution. The analysis of the age group gives us a correct understanding of the proportion of the people who belong to the productive age group and those who are to be looked after by society. The greater number of children and the aged over the working class people would considerably influence their economic and social life. In the same way, the analysis of the ‘sex composition is also important because it is generally recognized by sociologists that “sex mores, social codes, social ritual, and social institutions are all likely to be affected where extremely unbalanced sex rations are found”

There are still other aspects of the rural population such as ‘Caster, race nationality and religious composition” and thus has a great social significance. “it gives rise to a rich, complex, diversity of social life and varied patterns of culture. More often it breeds animosities, antagonisms, and conflicts. We know how in India in recent years the multi-religious composition of the Indian people endangered ghastly communal Hindu-Muslim riots. We know how both nationality conflicts are steadily corroding the body politic of India. A very particular type of social grouping is found in caste grouping. A student of Indian society who fails to study closely and carefully this variety of social grouping will miss the very essence of that society.

There is an urgent need to adopt a systematic, coordinated, and internal stated study of the rural people from various angles to achieve social progress.

Reference

Rural sociology by Dr. G. Das

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