Sociology · Sociology of Indian Society
Chapter 8 : SOME ASPECTS OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
Table of contents37 sections
- 1.SOME ASPECTS OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
- 2.Definition and Types of Social Mobility
- 3.Definition of Social Mobility
- 4.Types of Social Mobility
- 5.Key Terms
- 6.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 7.Social Mobility in A Caste-Ridden Society : India
- 8.A. Sanskritisation
- 9.Definition and Analysis of the Process of Sanskritisation
- 10.Sanskritisation and Brahminisation
- 11.An Analysis of the Process of Sanskritisation
- 12.Sanskritisation: Some Critical Comments
- 13.Key Terms
- 14.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 15.B. Westernisation
- 16.Meaning and Definition of Westernisation
- 17.Main Features of The Process of Westernisation
- 18.Primary Westernisation and Cultural Modernisation
- 19.Effects of Westernisation
- 20.Westernisation: Some Critical Comments
- 21.Key Terms
- 22.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 23.C. Modernisation
- 24.Meaning and Definition of Modernisation
- 25.Definitions of Modernisation
- 26.The Process of Modernisation
- 27.Characteristics of Modernisation
- 28.Criteria of Modernity or Measures of Modernisation
- 29.Causes of Modernisation
- 30.Process of Modernisation in India
- 31.Problems of Modernisation
- 32.Sanskritisation and Westernisation : Comparative Views
- 33.Westernisation and Modernisation : Comparative Views
- 34.Conclusion
- 35.Key Terms
- 36.📌 Exam Tidbits
- 37.Quick-Recall Box
Chapter preview
SOME ASPECTS OF SOCIAL MOBILITY
Individuals are normally recognised in a society through the statuses they occupy and the roles they enact. Because both society and individuals are dynamic, people continuously move up and down the status scale in an endless endeavour to enhance their position, or are forced down for various reasons. This movement is called social mobility.
While social mobility is an inseparable aspect of modern society, the tempo and opportunities vary. Historically, there prevailed an unfounded belief that the Indian society, dominated by the caste stratification system, was a "closed system" where mobility was impossible. This is no longer relevant. Social mobility seems to be very intense in India especially at the beginning of this 21st century. Prof. M.N. Srinivas convincingly established that social mobility occurs both within and outside the caste framework, introducing the concepts of Sanskritisation and Westernisation. Furthermore, Daniel Lerner introduced the concept of Modernisation to describe the radical transformation of Indian society.
Definition and Types of Social Mobility
Definition of Social Mobility
| Thinker | Definition |
|---|---|
| Wallace and Wallace | "Social mobility is the movement of a person or persons from one social status to another" (in Sociology, p. 275). |
| W.P. Scott | Social mobility refers to "the movement of an individual or group from one social class or social stratum to another" (in Dictionary of Sociology, p. 260). |
Social mobility is the movement of an individual or group from one social status/position to another (e.g., poor people becoming rich, bank peons becoming officers, farmers becoming ministers, a petty businessman going bankrupt, or a ruling class being turned out of office).
Types of Social Mobility
Russian-born American sociologist P.A. Sorokin distinguishes between two types of social mobility, a typology widely followed by other sociologists:
Key Terms
📌 Exam Tidbits
- P.A. Sorokin: Distinguished between Vertical and Horizontal social mobility.
- Wallace and Wallace: Defined social mobility as movement from one social status to another.
- W.P. Scott: Defined social mobility as movement from one social class/stratum to another.
- David Popenoe: Defined horizontal mobility as "movement from one status to its equivalent".
- Vertical…
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