Meaning, Definitions, Origin and Development of Rural Sociology

ü Rural sociology as the name indicates is the sociology of the village or rural society.

ü It is a systematic study of the rural society.

ü The interactions and the changes that are seen in the rural aspect of the society are studied under this branch.

ü Although rural sociology studies the rural life and the development in the rural society, it is difficult to separate completely the urban society and the rural society.

ü People living in rural society may be progressive and urban in outlook while people living in cities may have rural or village outlook.

ü Rural sociology does not study the rural society from a geographical point of view, but it studies the rural society from a particular angle.

  Definitions

ü According to Sanderson, “Rural sociology is the sociology of rural life in the rural environment”.

ü According to Bertrand, “In its broadest definition, rural sociology is the study of human relationships in rural environment”

   Origin and Development of Rural Sociology

ü Rural sociology is a relatively normal branch of sociology.

ü The impact of the capitalist industrial civilization upon the rural economy and social structure in various parts of the world forced the attention of scholars to the study of the trends of rural social development.

ü Research in the subject of the origin and the nature of village communities which were undergoing transformation was launched

ü In this context, the contributions of Charles Henderson of the Chicago University, Butterfield of the Michigan University, Ernest Bornholm of the Michigan State College, John Morris Gillian of the North Derota University etc are worth mentioning.

ü However, rural sociology as an organized discipline, consciously developed, is of very recent origin.

ü Due to historical reasons, it was originated in the USA and slowly tends to draw the attention elsewhere as its importance is being realized.