11th NCERT Sociology Chapter 3

Understanding Social Institutions

This chapter delicates an exploration of major social institutions such as family, education, religion, politics, and the economy, highlighting their structured interaction and societal roles. It emphasizes the constraints and opportunities these institutions provide to individuals, also reflecting on their varying impact on different societal classes.

Family, Marriage, and Kinship

The chapter discusses the structures and roles of the family, elucidating how these social units provide the basic structure of society and differ by culture, with some societies practicing exogamy and others endogamy.

Education

Education is portrayed not merely as a formal academic engagement but also as a social institution that imparts societal norms and values, bridges generations, and fosters social cohesion.

Religion

Focuses on the sociological study of religion in connection to its empirical attributes, contrasting sociological study with theological views, and examining the interaction of religion with other social institutions.

Politics

Explores the role and impact of political institutions in shaping power and authority within societies, discussing how these influences operate through both formal structures and informal social norms.

Economics

Discusses economic institutions, emphasizing their development, roles, and the conflicts they might engender within society, particularly between different social groups or classes.