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10 Aug 2014, 23:42
To understand the most important characteristics of a society, one must study its major cities.
Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.
The notion that the study of major cities will yield information about the characteristics of the society is partly true as it reflects the common practices of the urban population but to have a deeper understanding of society one should also incorporate the study of rural population to have a more well-rounded knowledge of society as a whole. Coming from a country like India, where there is a huge disparity in the quality of life in urban and rural societies, I believe that to completely understand present day society, one must always take into consideration the life of the people in villages. Since cities have evolved from villages, the study of life in rural areas will give us a better understanding of the idiosyncrasies prevalent in the society of the present day. The history of a country is also crucial to understanding why the people behave the way they do today. For example, in India, the period under British rule brought about many positive as well as negative effects that have been perpetuated through generations .The abolition of sati under the British rule was a progressive change for the development of society but the feeling of inferiority that was instilled in the people through years of oppression is ingrained in the psyche of the people and manifests itself even today in the form of fairness cream advertisements which perpetuate the idea the dark skin is inferior to fair skin.
Sociology is essentially the study of every class of society and cannot be restricted to just the urban population of a country. Many social issues stem from the clash of different classes of society and for this it is important to study life in urban as well as rural areas for a holistic understanding of social problems and their origins.