The development perspective grew from three main sources: i From the study of economic growth. Despite this closure there have been changes in caste hierarchy and its norms from time to time. Despite this relative advantage, this approach too suffers from the culturological bias, and neglects the structural aspects of social change. This is called monistic theory which seeks to interpret social change in terms of one single factor. This view neglects revolutionary changes which are profound and sudden.
In most cases, however, focus is only upon the Great traditions, like those of Islam, Hinduism and of the modem west, and the treatment of the micro-structures of traditions is scanty. The State Creating Tribes In fact, in some cases the state actually creates tribes. For instance, the distinction between the culturological and structural connotations of a term like modernization would depend upon the way its implications are formulated through abstract structural statements. Tribal leaders are sometimes big business leaders as well, such as Hamid al-Ahmar who is possibly one of the wealthiest men in Yemen. In sociology the influence of this approach was never strong in India probably because of the dominant influence that British sociology and social anthroÂpology with its functional orientation exercised on its methodology and scope. This orientation of Indian sociologists, however, is not entirely ideological. The Direction of Social Change : Early sociologists viewed the culture of primitive peoples as completely static, but this was abandoned with the appearance of scientific studies of preliterate cultures.
Fuchs reports about the mes- sainic movements among the tribals of central India. Political change is initiated by a strong aristocracy, the speculators who later lose their energy and become incapable of vigorous role. In historical specific sense Sanskritization is a concept loaded with historical connotations closer to the view-point of Staal; but in contextual specific usage it tends to show many attributes of a functional concept implied by E. Thus ruling class eventually resort to tricks or to clever manipulations and they come to possess individuals characterized by the rentier mentality. Rather each is an element in a system. Perhaps the new trend is also linear, perhaps it is oscillating, perhaps it conforms to some particular type of curve. The sociologist has to construct a view in which the represenÂtation is preserved as it presents itself and at the same time is seen in its relation to its non-conscious counterpart.
Thinkers like Mahatma Gandhi and Aurobindo Ghose have warned mankind against moral degeneration. Each successive stage comes into existence as a result of conflict with the one preceding it. This implies that many elements of the Indian culture, which for the lack of methodological clarity are treated as unique, can with facility be analysed in terms of higher levels of abstractions without, however, distorting their distinctiveness as cultural symbols. We find mainly two broad substantive areas of social realities to which most studies of change are oriented…. Despite this, a distinction between the macro and micro contexts of socio-cultural phenomena is quite pervasive in the literature of social change to warrant a conceptual unity in its approach not only on substantive but also logical grounds. One important reason to recognize these different angles from which to view tribes in Yemen is that the current overly broad conceptualization of tribe may miss important changes that are occurring in Yemeni society today. With varying emphasis, these writers accept the desirability of change for the sake of change.
Many of the conditions on which important human values such as contentment, economic security, honesty and freedom depend are not often realized more adequately in the more evolved society. This is also why Sanskritization and Westernization fail to lead to a consistent theory of cultural change. A distinction between cultural structure and social Structure is also made to focus upon the need to observe changes at the level of these two relatively independent substantive domains. Marriott writes: For understanding why Sanskritization has gone so short a way in so long a time in the festivals of Kishan Garhi, and for understanding why Sanskritic rites are often added on to non-Sanskritic rites without replacing them, the concept of primary or indigenous process of civilization again offers useful guidance. Our parents do not share many of our moral standards, for standards are not objective.
Weir sees tribes a refuge from the abuses of the state. Thereafter degeneration began to take place. As a result, a section of the tribals in Orissa, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have migrated from their parent villages. On a particular issue, some tribesmen may agree with the stance of their shaykhs, and in another they will differ. Other sociologists too recognize this distinction either explicitly or by implication.
Here, we must explain the two levels of meanings which are implicit in Sanskritization and which interchangeably have been made use of by Srinivas. The social evils like drug-addiction, dowry system, prostitution, alcoholism, child exploitation and delinquency have increased manifold. Having lived in tribal areas for generations they had so intrinsically mingled with tribal culture that they became oblivious of their features of original Jati and Varna positions. A clear distinction between micro End, micro levels of structures is also found in the structural formulations of change by Bailey, Mayer, Epestein and others. At one level, a tribe is just a bunch of people who have decided to follow a particular leader at some particular point in time. The modern age is the age of Kaliyug wherein man is deceitful, treacherous, false, dishonest, selfish and consequently unhappy. The cognitive historical approach has also the advantage of formulating a series of abstractions on cultural themes for comparative study, generally on the model of ideal-types.
According to Imperial Gazetteer of India a tribe is a collection of families bearing a common name, speaking a common dialect, occupying or professing to occupy a common territory and is not usually endogamous though originally it might have been so. That limits tribal populations significantly, especially when compared to agricultural populations. Humans are social animals and ill-equipped to live on their own. Marta Mundy similarly suggested that the concept of tribe be abandoned and that one should speak of local communities, a term adopted by Blumi as well. There are strong signs that education and economic opportunities are changing tribes.
Their work is commendable as it, appears to be a drop in the ocean. Thus, according to Indian mythology man has passed through four ages—Satyug, Treta, Dwapar and Kaliyug. The economic relationship is predominantly a stabilizing factor in the continuity of traditional institutions in India, which, according to Desai, would undergo changes as these relationships change. It was the outcome of the objective conflict of interest…. In other words, only that change can be called social change whose influence can be felt in a community form. Permanence versus mobility, ascription versus achievement allows for a neat contrariety between the two kinds of social system.
In the final stages, however, this results into a global, universalized pattern of culture, especially through increased cross- contacts among civilizations. Another bias in the studies of social change in India results from too much concern with culture and values. Despite this, the contribution of Marriott is very limited in scope specially because he focuses merely upon the orthogenetic process of cultural change. Their immediate neighbors are their competitors and tribes are interested in maintaining their power relative to their neighbors. The description given by Sorokin makes room for almost any possibility, deterioration, progress or cyclical change and, therefore, sociologists find little quarrel with his description. For this we find the concepts employed by Redfield and Singer as being particularly useful and make a distinction between the heterogenetic or exogenous and orthogenetic or endogenous sources of change. It dominates the minds of the leaders in the Communist Party, and a large membership of the Congress and other liberal parties is also influenced by its ideology.