Mudabicara.com_ Rural sociology is a branch of sociology that studies the behavior of people who live in villages, both from the aspect of social structure, social interaction to livelihoods.
In addition to studying community life individually, rural sociology also studies the relationships between village community groups and other village community groups.
As a social science that studies the life of rural sociology, it wants to take a complete picture of the governance of rural communities in carrying out their daily activities.
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Then what exactly is rural sociology and when did the study of rural sociology begin to appear. Now! this time, we wants to review an article about rural sociology. For more, see the following reviews:
A Brief History of Rural Sociology
The background to the emergence of rural sociology is inseparable from the role of the United States. America experienced social inequality during the industrial era of the 19th century.
Before the emergence of this inequality in America, the ownership of agricultural land was very wide with an agrarian type of society.
However, the development of industrialization in America led to a decrease in agricultural land, because villages began to grow rapidly which turned into cities.
The impact of the development of the growth of villages in America is the emergence of new interactions which are meetings of the people of several regions in the United States.
These new interactions indirectly affect the emergence of new norms and rules of behavior from the joined society which are somewhat different from the old norms and rules of behavior brought by each resident.
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Another consequence is the emergence of depopulation in rural areas in the United States. The emergence of this depopulation led to the emergence of humanitarian issues which caused the desire to improve life in rural areas began to spread around 1900.
This issue gave rise to courses on rural social issues at the Universities of Chicago, Michigan and North Carolina.
Furthermore, this issue resulted in the President of the United States at that time, namely Roosevelt, forming a commission on rural life (Commission on Rural Life).
The decision to form this commission was also influenced by Sir Horace Plunkett’s studies in Ireland on the breakdown of village life in Ireland.
The commission’s report on village life has attracted the attention of American sociologists. In a meeting of sociologists who were members of the American Sociological Society in 1912, village life was presented as the main topic.
As a result of the relatively fast development of society, in 1937 a group of sociologists specializing in the study of rural communities emerged, known as the Rural Sociology Society.
The rapid development in the United States as a result of the industrial revolution caused the disappearance of villages in the United States.
This makes it difficult for American sociologists to find their object of study. Therefore, American sociologists began to conduct research in South America (Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba, Brazil), which still has many rural communities as its object.
The development of rural area studies that is increasingly widespread has an impact on the development of sociology itself.
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In 1957 the European Society for Rural Sociology and Japan emerged, which specialized in studying rural communities in Europe and Japan.
Since then, rural sociology emerged as material for a branch of sociology that examines the development of life in the village.
Definition of Rural Sociology
Sociology is a science that studies community behavior and the environment, while a village is a community that has a legal unit and authority to regulate its own social system based on its origin rights.
So rural sociology is the study of social systems, social structures, social conditions to social processes, both individuals and groups of people in rural areas.
As a branch of sociology, rural sociology certainly stands alone because rural sociology has a specific object of study, namely the relation of social phenomena in a rural setting.
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The purpose of the social phenomenon of society is anything related to the social system and social interactions that exist in the countryside.
By studying rural sociology we will know a complete portrait of how village people interact, build social systems and structures to how they solve problems.
Understanding Rural Sociology According to Experts
1. Rogers
Rural sociology is a science that studies the changing behavior of people in rural settings related to their groups.
Rural sociology is a social study effort in the process of solving rural community problems. Therefore, rural sociology is oriented towards the process of social change and problem solving in rural community settings.
2. Lynn Smith & Paul Zopf (1970)
Rural sociology is the sociology of rural life ( sociology of rural life ). Therefore, rural sociology is a systematic collection of knowledge resulting from the application of the scientific method as an effort to study rural communities.
This study examines various aspects of village life including the basic social system of society, social organizational structure to the process of social change that occurs in society.
3. Viriatmaya
Rural sociology is a science that studies and examines the relations of village community members with groups in the rural environment.
Although for Wiriatmaja rural sociology is of course the application of general sociological theories in analyzing societal changes.
4. John Gillete
Rural sociology is a branch of sociology that systematically studies rural communities to reveal their conditions and tendencies and formulate principles of progress.
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5. NL Sims
Rural sociology is a science that studies the associations between people whose livelihood activities depend heavily on the agricultural sector.
6. Priyotamtomo (2001)
Rural sociology is a science that studies villages scientifically in order to provide an overview of human relations with groups and the dynamics experienced in society.
7. Dwight Sanderson (1942)
Dwight Sanderson defines rural sociology as the study of life in a rural environment.
8. Howard Newby (1978)
Howard Newby argues that the study of rural sociology cannot be separated from Karl Kautsky’s question about ( The Agrarian Question) who tries to see various changes due to the domination of capitalist production.
For Howard Newby , rural sociology is not only concerned with the study of how village people behave, but how village people adapt to the capitalist system that enters their social system.
Object of Rural Sociology Study
1. Village Social System
The main object of study in rural sociology is the social system. The social system includes how the village community creates a system of social cohesion, maintains order and peace and social relations and how the rural population responds to social change.
2. Organization and Social Structure
Organization and social structure includes how the village community creates an organizational structure such as the Chairperson of the Neighborhood Association, Karang Taruna, Farmers’ Group and other organizations.
Besides that, rural sociology also examines how social transformation, knowledge and technology change the pattern of village organization and structure.
3. Governance of Village Settlements
The object of study of sociology after the social system of society is village settlement governance. Geographically, the villages on the mountain and the villages on the coast have different governance of village settlements.
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Therefore, researching village settlement patterns using scientific methods will determine regularity patterns and the things that cause these social governance phenomena to occur.
In addition, scientific research will become a reference in the study of rural sociology in the future.
4. Community Social Process
The social process of society is an important part of the study of rural sociology because it is the root of the discussion. From the social process, we will understand that changes for the sake of changes occur based on history.
On the other hand, we will discover the pattern of why the process of social change occurs along with the factors that influence it.
Functions of Rural Sociology
1. Knowing the Functions and Roles of the Village
By studying rural sociology we will know the role and function of the village in carrying out the development process. Besides that, with rural sociology we will know the appropriate strategy in building a village.
2. Examining Village Development Transformation
By studying rural sociology we will know the transformation of social change in rural communities along with the internal and external factors that influence it.
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3. Determining Development Targets
Village development cannot be carried out on the basis of a program but must go through rural sociology studies so that development remains on target and meets needs.
4. Enriching Viewpoints
By conducting a study of rural sociology, it can enrich the perspective of the same from one village to another, not necessarily experiencing the same social changes.
That’s all for explaining the meaning of rural sociology , see you in the next discussion regarding sociology. Happy reading! share an comment please.