Rural-Urban Continuum

Rural-Urban Continuum

 Conventionally, rural-urban continuum proposes a linear depiction of the contrasting natures of social relationships characteristic of rural and urban settlements. This was a popular conceptual tool to classify different types of community and the transition between them. It arose from early 20th century sociology attempting to understand the social changes consequent upon rapid urbanization. Life in the countryside occurred in small, geographically isolated settlements which were socially homogeneous, with high levels of mutual communication and social solidarity, and which changed very slowly. Urban communities are attributed the opposite characteristics. Some sociologists have used the concept of rural-urban continuum to stress the idea that there are no sharp breaking points to be found in the degree or quantity of rural-urban differences. Robert Redfield has given the concept of rural -urban continuum on the basis of his study of Mexican peasants of Tepoztlain. The rapid process of urbanization through the establishment of industries, urban traits and facilities has decreased the differences between villages and cities (http://nptel.ac.in/downloads/109103023/, 01/05/2018).

Rural-urban continuum is a conceptual tool to understand the interaction between rural and urban society, solution of arbitrariness in differentiating rural and urban society, extent of urbanism, sign of rural characteristics in urban areas and extension of urban mode of life towards rural society. It is also a phenomenon of the impact of urbanization on rural areas and vice versa.

Here we have to understand certain aspects related to rural and urban society for grasping the conceptual toll rural-urban continuum.

Rural-Urban area vs. Rural-Urban society

Rural and urban areas are distinguished on the basis of criteria set up by the respective country. It varies from country to country. Urban area is again classified into town, city, Metro city etc. There are mainly demographic and economic criteria used for rural and urban classification. The sizes of population, density, economy etc. are the main indicators of differentiating rural from urban areas.

On the other hand rural and urban society must be understood on the basis of perspective and theory like Urbanism as a way of Life given by Louis Wirth. Understanding rural and urban society based on demographic criteria is absurd and arbitrary. Society once belong to single civilization have become distinct and different in the form rural and urban society. The characteristics of both the society make them distinct and separate. Some important differentiating elements are as follows:

1.      Homogeneity vs. Heterogeneity

2.      Agrarian economy vs. industrial economy

3.      Community sentiment vs. goal oriented association

4.      Primary relationship vs. secondary relationship   

5.      Individualism vs. collectivism

Absence of Boundary of Rural and Urban Society

There is no boundary line for rural and urban society. It is difficult to trace where urban society ends and rural society begins. The urban way of life does not disappear suddenly in the certain boundary line of rural and urban centers like town, city and Metro city. So urban way of life extends to places far away from city or town. The sub-urban areas or peripheral region of city or town manifests urban life style and live with almost all urban facilities. Above all, urbanization process has been influencing the rural society or rural way of life. Rural areas are not much backward as it was before industrial development and extensive urbanization.

It has been observed that few rural characteristics are also prevalent in urban areas like ghettoization of the people of particular community, life in slums and low living standard of the people of wage earner and unemployed. The segregation of people based on ethnicity, religion, language, caste and culture is also observed in some areas of city or town. In India caste is invisible in urban society though it is considered so. Casteism is largely practicing even in urban centers. Caste distinction, polarization and violence are the evidences of rural characteristic in city or town.  Thus it is difficult to draw a boundary line for rural and urban society.

Impact of Urbanization on rural areas in India

Urbanization left considerable impact over rural areas and made the rural-urban continuum a confused state of condition. Urbanization has brought changes in the material aspects of rural area such as road, transport and communication, non-agricultural source of income, housing etc. The non-material aspects of rural area have not changed much that is collectivism, agricultural source of income and homogeneity etc. still persists with greater importance. Joint family, caste and kinship are the main essence of rural society even today. So in conclusion we can say that continuum must be understood in the context of India through theoretical application.

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Author of the essay is M Hasan Laskar, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Sociology, University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya. He is author and founder of You Tube channel “Sociology for Life”. He is also the editor of this Blog “Sociological Study”.