𝌡 CULTURAL CHANGE 

What is Cultural Change?

Cultural change refers to the change in customs, traditions, beliefs, lifestyle, behaviour etc. Impact of British on our culture, values, norms, basically any impact or change on the cultural side, which can be seen in all aspects of our daily life.  

Social Reform Movements

• The social reform movements which emerged in India in the 19th century arose to the challenges that colonial Indian society faced.
• Social evils that plagued Indian society, which are well known issues are that of sati, child marriage, widow remarriage, caste discrimination etc. It is not that attempts were not made to fight social discrimination in pre-colonial India, there were but mostly central to Buddhism, Bhakti and Sufi movements. Whereas during the colonial period, it was a creative combination of modern ideas of western liberalism and a new look on traditional literature.
• Changing life of women and Dalits, ridding of social evils, ensuring education for women etc. 
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy started Brahrno Samaj and abolished Sati. 
• Dayanand Saraswati started Arya Samaj.
• Social reformers came during British rule and not Mughal rule because the British tried to change/shape the social system.

1. Modern Framework of Change in the Colonial Period

Sociologist Satish Saberwal defines three aspects to the modern framework of change in the colonial period. They are:

l). Modes of Communication:

• New technologies speeded up various forms of communication like printing press, telegraph, and microphone, movement of people and goods etc.
• Railways helped quick movement of new ideas like social reformers from Punjab and Bengal exchanged ideas with reformers from Madras and Maharashtra. 

ll). Organisations:

• Modern social organisations like the Brahmo Samaj in Bengal and Arya Samaj in Punjab were set up.
• The All-India Muslim Ladies Conference was founded in 1914.
• Social reformers would hold debates and talk about important issues and reformers would write in journals and newspapers.
• Associations were set up all over the nation.
• Social reformers set up their own association in their respective states, e.g., Raja Ram Mohun Roy's Brahmo Sarna in West Bengal.

lll). The Nature of Ideas:

• When Colonial rule started we were influenced in all aspects of life.
• This changed the relationships between mothers and daughters because liberalism and freedom of thought came into being. This changed the outlook of life and relationships.
• Social reformers debated whether women should be educated, this led to formation of associations writing in journalism, newspapers etc. e.g. Jyotiba Phule. 
• There was a difference in interpretation, growth of ideas and gave them a better outlook of life.
• Ranade and Ishwar Chandra Vidayasagar focused on widow remarriage, but they had different approaches to it.
• Jotiba Phule recalled the glory of pre- Aryan age while others like Bal Gangadhar Tilak emphasised the glory of the Aryan period. In other words 19th century reform initiated a period of questioning, reinterpretations and both intellectual and social growth.
• Debates within communities were common during this period. For instance, sati was opposed by the Brahmo Samaj. Orthodox members of the Hindu community in Bengal formed an organisation called Dharma Sabha and petitioned the British arguing that reformers had no right to interpret sacred texts.
• Many social reformers believed in similar issues and aspects of life but they had different approaches to it. 

Approaches to the Study of Sanskritisation, Modernisation, Secularisation and Westernisation

• Colonialism led to the growth of an English educated Indian middle class. They read the thinkers of western enlightenment, philosophers of liberal democracy and dreamt of ushering in a liberal and progressive India.
• Modernity spelled not merely new ideas but also rethinking and reinterpretation of tradition. Both culture and tradition are living entities, people learn them and in turn modify them.
• India’s structural and cultural diversity is self-evident. This diversity shapes the different ways that modernisation or westernisation, sanskritisation or secularisation effects or does not affect different groups of people.

Different Kinds of Social Change

1. Sanskritisation 

 The term sanskritization was coined by M.N. Srinivas. The process by which a ‘low’ caste or tribe or other group takes over the customs, ritual, beliefs, ideology and style of life of a high and, in particular, a ‘twice-born (dwija) caste’.

l). Impact of sanskritization

• The impact of Sanskritization is many-sided. Its influence can be seen in language, literature, ideology, music, dance, drama, style of life and ritual.
• It is primarily a process that takes place within the Hindu space though Srinivas argued that it was visible even in sects and religious groups outside Hinduism. Studies of different areas, however, show that it operated differently in different parts of the country.
• In those areas where a highly Sanskritised caste was dominant, the culture of the entire region underwent a certain amount of Sanskritisation.
• In regions where the non-Sanskritic castes were dominant, it was their influence that was stronger. This can be termed the process of ‘de-Sanskritisation’.

ll). Sanskritization and Social Position

• Srinivas argued that, “the Sanskritisation of a group has usually the effect of improving its position in the local caste hierarchy.’’  
• It normally presupposes either an improvement in the economic or political position of the group concerned or a higher group self-consciousness resulting from its contact with a source of the ‘Great Tradition’ of Hinduism such as a pilgrim centre or a monastery or a proselytising sect.”
• But in a highly unequal society such as India there were and still are obstacles to any easy taking over of the customs of the higher castes by the lower.
• Indeed, traditionally, the dominant caste punished those low castes, which were audacious enough to attempt it. The story below captures the problem.”

lll). Criticism

• Sanskritization as a concept has been criticised at different levels.
• It has been criticised for exaggerating social mobility or the scope of ‘lower castes’ to move up the social ladder. For it leads to no structural change but only positional change of some individuals.
• It has been pointed out that the ideology of sanskritisation accepts the ways of the ‘upper caste’ as superior and that of the ‘lower caste’ as inferior. Therefore, the desire to imitate the ‘upper caste’ is seen as natural and desirable.
• ‘Sanskritisation’ seems to justify a model that rests on inequality and exclusion. It appears to suggest that to believe in pollution and purity of groups of people is justifiable or all right.
• Since sanskritisation results in the adoption of upper caste rites and rituals it leads to practices of secluding girls and women, adopting dowry practices instead of bride-price and practising caste discrimination against other groups, etc.
• The effect of such a trend is that the key characteristics of dalit culture and society are eroded. For example the very worth of labour which ‘lower castes’ do is degraded and rendered ‘shameful’.
• With the growth of the anti-Brahmanical movement and the development of regional self-consciousness in the twentieth century there was an attempt in several Indian languages to drop Sanskrit words and phrases.
• Recent years, Dalits now pride their identity as Dalits. They have gained some pride and self-confidence but otherwise remain excluded and discriminated. 

2. Westernisation

• M.N. Srinivas defines westernisation as “the changes brought about in Indian society and culture as a result of over 150 years of British rule, the term subsuming changes occurring at different levels…technology, institutions, ideology and values.
• Different kinds of westernisation:
• - The emergence of a westernised sub-cultural pattern through a minority section of Indians who first came in contact with Western culture. Many of the early 19th century reformers were of this kind.
• - The general spread of Western cultural traits, such as the use of new technology, dress, food, and changes in the habits and styles of people in general. Across the country a very wide section of middle class homes have a television set, a fridge, some kind of sofa set, a dining table and chair in the living room.
• Westernisation does involve the imitation of external forms of culture. It does not necessarily mean that people adopt modern values of democracy and equality.
• Westernisation in the contemporary context Conflicts between generations are seen as cultural conflicts resulting from westernisation.
• General Conflicts between generations were always prevalent in society.
• Western Way of Thinking: Apart from ways of life and thinking( like freedom of thought, liberty) the west influenced Indian art and literature. Artists like Ravi Varma, Abanindranath Tagore, Chandu Menon and Bankimchandra Chattopadhya were all grappling with the colonial encounter.
• Two ways of thought : 
• - Western thinkers started thinking like them e.g. the way they treated women.
• - Western practices were influenced by their beliefs, food, customs, way of speaking, etc.

3. Modernisation

• Modernization refers to a model of a progressive transition from a 'pre-modern' or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. Modernization theory both attempts to identify the social variables that contribute to social progress and development of societies and seeks to explain the process of social evolution.
• Thinking and ideas influence brings change in mind sets, therefore life changes for better features like
• (i). Due to globalization and broader outlook, universal/cosmopolitan attitudes are replacing local ones.  
• (ii). Science and technology has replaced non-rational, emotional thinking, anything connected to religion.
• (iii). Workplace and family were mixed together, but now work and personal life are separate.
• (iv). Individual is given more importance than group. Now individuals don't want any institution and want freedom of thought, ideas etc. Nuclear family is more important and preferable than joint.
• (v). Achieved/Acquired status is more important than ascribed status.
• (vi). Attitude of people towards the human environment and natural environment has, changed for the better as the circumstances have changed. We don't associate nature with religion. We are actually concurred with the environment. 

A). Modernisation and Secularisation

• Our attitude towards religion has changed with modernisation. One does not attribute everything to religion.
• Modernity and Secularism (tradition) they go hand in hand. 
• If we don't keep up all traditions we can't be part of the global village and if we don't modernise them we can't develop and grow. With modem ideas and thinking, the religious aspects are not given the same importance.
• Due to Sanskritisation, the tribes feel that their culture is being eroded and in order to prevent that from happening, they have community celebrations. To retain and maintain their identity they try to show the others not to forget it and show unity.
• The local calendar has been replaced by the English calendar. Now we are part of the global village and we have sedateness.
• ‘‘Display of wealth’’ now that is a want for materialistic goods. It is now a status symbol and celebrations are more elaborate.
• Modern thinking and ideas, instead of the old ideas (child marriage etc). We now have new ideas (education of girl child, etc). Now it is more towards improving the status of women and dalits and not only the traditional practices.
• We take it for granted that as we are modernising we are becoming more secular.
• Religion can usually disappear from one lives. As we are becoming more modem, we assume that the importance of religion will deteriorate. This is not true as practising dowry, honour killings still exist. 
• Rituals-Secular Dimension is different from Secular Goal. Secular dimension-when you don't give importance to religion, but while doing religious practice people get to show off opportunity to socialise, communicate etc. Secular goal social-economic aspects are given more importance than rituals. In marriage ceremonies, the actual rituals are not given importance.

B). Secularisation of Caste

• Caste was referred to with pollution purity and the practices were important. Now politicians use caste for vote banks, Power and Authority are important for politicians and they use religion, region, caste, language, etc to get these. Therefore, they make full use of the law for religion and caste to Indians.  

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