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...