The Social Lens: Insights on Institutions, Inequality, and Innovation

The progress of civilizations in different parts of the world has taken a definite shape, with certain common institutions emerging across cultures and historical periods. Patriarchy is one such institution that has been deeply entrenched in societies worldwide, including India. In patriarchal societies, the distinction between the ‘public’ and ‘private’ spheres for women is rigidly defined, with various boundaries imposed. These boundaries determine the extent of women’s freedoms and significantly impact their life chances in areas such as health, education, and employment. Societal norms and values often justify these restrictions in the name of preserving patriarchy. The most powerful among these values is the perceived right to make decisions that shape not only the lives but also the desires of women, reinforcing the notion that control over their bodies and choices rests with men. The power embedded in gender difference has profoundly influenced societal structures, leading ...

The subject matter of anthropology has undergone many changes and so the research methods and evidence collection methods. Ethnography, which shows the way of life of the people, was first introduced into the social sciences by the anthropologists for the study of small-scale, pre- industrial societies. Malinowski is regarded as the one who brought ethnography in the realm of anthropology while studying Trobriandars. The initial debate in anthropology was related to the use of the methodologies and various questions were posed before the anthropologists like should anthropology use natural science methods or it is not science at all. In the intellectual tradition, there was division between ‘Nomothetic’ and ‘Ideographic’ disciplines on the line of Kantian division of knowledge. German intellectual tradition developed by Kant and Hegel out rightly rejected the polarisation of disciplines into two different blocks. Hegel says that all branches of knowledge developed out of the human co...

The Patidars of Gujarat got the name from the Pattidari system of land revenue. Patidars, having the occupation of trade and other professions, are scattered throughout the world. The Patidars are divided into two groups- Lewa and kadwa. These two groups are separated in kinship relationships. However, the Lewa are considered to be higher in status but it is not visible in practice. Lewa Patidars are predominant in Charottar, which is considered as ‘the pleasant land of Patidars’. They generally share their village with the other caste groups of Brahmin, Bania, Baria, Patenwadia, Occupational, Servants etc. Most of these castes are influenced by hypergamic practices like that of Patidars. It is very tough to find a fundamental pattern of kinship system of Patidars. But, as Pocock writes “We can best say that the form of any one particular joint family is a working out of the ideal of ‘jointness’  as it is held up by ancient law and extolled by religion and economic possibilit...

Religion and the origin of religion have been defined in multiple ways by different school of thoughts but generally, it is defined as the belief system which validates existence of supernatural beings that have a governing effect on life. In sociology, its functions are also viewed differently by different schools as Marxist sees it as a deception, functionalist views it as functional for the dynamic equilibrium of society etc. Somehow, religion as an ideology has a very profound effect on the societal relationship and in every social setting; it plays the crucial roles of bringing social change and continuity even in the post-modernist world. Especially in the South Asian context, sometimes being a part of the culture and sometimes independent of culture, it has significant impact on the peoples. Here religion provided the reason for the partition of Indian subcontinent, rise of Taliban in Afghanistan, and sectarian violence in Pakistan,  radicalization  of Islam in Mald...

Indian civilisation has always been based on the principle of holism, hierarchy, continuity, and transcendence and its character has influenced from orthogenetic changes and changes in its Great Tradition and Little Tradition but form of the institutions remained unchanged as the endogenous changes were confined only to ‘Sanskritisation' .The real change came from the contact of western civilisation in 17th century, which began through the process of colonization. The earlier encounter with Islam only reinforced the tradition as Islam was a traditional religion and a synthesis of Islamic tradition and Hindu tradition took place which even had the effect in the Persia. The Islam of Indian subcontinent also adopted the features of hierarchy as the most of the Muslims were Hindu convert. In political structure also the feudal system was common to both the religions. Despite having differences in ideologies a syncretic relationship between both the religions was apparent in Indian ...

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in Trier, a small town in Germany, to Hirschl Marx-Levy, a lawyer who struggled to make a living because Prussian laws prohibited Jews from holding public office. To overcome this barrier, he converted to Protestantism two years before Karl Marx’s birth, which enabled him to advance his career and eventually become the head of the Trier Bar Association. Marx initially enrolled at the University of Bonn but was later transferred to Berlin University due to his involvement in fights, excessive drinking, and accumulating debts. Berlin University was associated with some of the most renowned professors of the time, including Hegel, who had died five years before Marx’s arrival. By the 1840s, Britain was experiencing economic prosperity fueled by the Industrial Revolution, while France had become a hub of socialist thought. During the 1830s and 1840s, Britain also witnessed significant political movements, notably the Chartist movement, which was led by...