Rural Planning,

Society & Ecology-

Society
Socialization August 2017 : O Chiyaka
 Lecture objectives

Understand the notion of the peasantry

Characterization of peasantry and locate it within
the rural development discourse,
Use of the concept of the household as a unit of
analysis in rural development
An understanding of culture and the implication
within rural communities
 Text references

A Giddens (2007) Sociology

JE Goldthorpe An introduction to sociology
 Concept of culture

Refers to a whole way of life for a particular society

Includes but not limited to dress, marriage customs,
family life, art, patterns of work , religious
ceremonies and rituals etc.
All includes the materials and good produced
Different dimensions of culture are emphasized
 Concept of culture
Culture is organic and supra organic it evolves within
society and lives beyond individuals and persists and
evolves
Includes the tangible and intangible elements tangible
relates to the material elements such as objects, tools etc.
The intangible relates to language, beliefs, ideas ,
knowledge etc.
Explicit vs. implicit explicit refer to those actions that
can be described easily by those performing them|
implicit those things that we do but unable to explain
them yet we believe we believe them to be so
 Concept of culture

Culture is stable yet changing culture stable when

intergenerational transfer of what is dammed valuable to
maintain values and norms| when culture comes into
contact with other cultures it changes| adaptation to
changes and circumstances also informs change
Culture is shared and learned culture as public property
of a particular social group| individuals get cultural
knowledge of the group through socialization
 Concept of culture

Culture is symbolic
Gives meaning to many things and is based on purposeful
use and creation of symbols
Symbols refers to anything to which people attach meaning
and used to communicate with others could be words,
objects, gestures, images etc
 Elements of culture :Values
What is felt to be important
Critical element of non material culture
General and abstract guidelines for our lives, decisions, goals,
choices and actions
Shared standards on what is right or wrong, desirable or
undesirable, acceptable or unacceptable, ethical or unethical
Can be positive or negative
Positive honesty, respect for others, hospitality
Negative indecency, dishonesty, frugality, falsehoods etc.
 Elements of culture cont

Norms Rules written and unwritten of a particular

society
Roles Parts played by individuals and is the active
dimension stemming from occupying of a certain
position e.g. mother
Morals beliefs about what is right or wrong
Language set of interrelated symbols and rules that
provides a complex communication system
 Social system

Society is made up of groups of people and varies in

terms of size, purpose, membership etc
Society system must provide basic needs
Producing and consuming (economy)
Bearing and rearing children (reproduction)
Deal with relations
Non material needs such as leaisure and meaning of life
religion and values)
 Socialisation

For a culture to remain its patterns of thinking and

acting must be passed from one generation to the
next and this transmission process is socialization
Its is the process by which people learn the
expectations of society including social roles, the
expected behavior associated with a given status in
society
Is the basis of identity which is how a person defines
him or herself also establishes personality
 Agents of socialisation

Family
Education
Peers
Mass Media
Religion
 Consequences of socialization

Establishes self concept, self identity and self

esteem
Creates capacity for role thinking
Creates a tendency for people to act in acceptable
ways
Makes people bearers of culture
 Notion of the Peasantry

Peasants as part of larger society but retain cultural

identities that set them apart
Peasantry seen as a temporary transient phase from
dispersed, isolated and self sufficient communities
towards and integration into the market economy
Peasant seen being subordinate to control of
outsiders |underdog position implies unequal
social and cultural status coercion and unequal
access to social power
 Notion of the Peasantry
Linked to farm enterprise livelihoods in primarily linked
to or from the land focusing on crop with some animals
Whilst the peasant may have supplementary activities
generally peasant = farmer
The link to land as a definition parameter is not usually
tied to market but as an unalienable traditional right by
virtue of birth in a particular community.
Land not only a factor of production but as a source of
family security against hazards plus social status in
communities
 Notion of the peasantry

Reliance of family as predominant source of Labour

although some ad hoc hiring may take place
Household not seen a business concern
Subsistence basis of livelihoods high proportion of
production is consumed by the household rather than
sold
Reciprocity instead dependence of marketing policies
barter trade and reciprocal work parties
Moral economy and economy of affection
 Notion of peasantry

Ellis offered an economic def of peasantry

=peasants are farm households with access to their
means of livelihoods in land, utilizing mainly family
labour in farm production, always located in larger
economic systems, but fundamentally characterized
by partial engagement in markets which tend to
function with a high degree of imperfection