- Opening of Markets: Liberalisation ended licensing and restrictions, allowing private and foreign entry into sectors like telecom, aviation, and retail.
- Growth of MNCs: Foreign firms entered India, and Indian companies expanded globally, increasing competition.
- Privatisation and Disinvestment: The government reduced its role by selling PSU shares, creating job insecurity.
- Employment Changes: Permanent jobs declined; contract work and outsourcing increased.
- Rising Inequality: Middle class grew, but income inequality widened and small businesses faced strong competition.
Topics
Structural Change
- Introduction to Structural Change
- Understanding Colonialism
- Urbanisation and Industrialisation
- Overview of Structural Change
Introducing Indian Society
Indian Society
Cultural Change
- Effects of Colonialisation in India
- Social Reform Movements in the 19th and Early 20th Century
- How Do We Approach the Study of Sanskritisation, Modernisation, Secularisation and Westernisation
- Different Kinds of Social Change
- Overview of Cultural Change
Social Change and Development in India
Demographic Structure and Indian Society
- Introduction to the Demographic Structure of the Indian Society
- Some Theories and Concepts in Demography
- Size and Growth of India’s Population
- Age Structure of the Indian Population
- The Declining Sex-ratio in India
- Literacy
- Rural-urban Differences
- Population Policy in India
- Overview of Demographic Structure and Indian Society
The Story of Indian Democracy
- Introduction to the Story of Indian Democracy
- The Indian Constitution
- The Panchayati Raj and the Challenges of Rural Social Transformation
- Political Parties, Pressure Groups and Democratic Politics
Social Institutions - Continuity and Change
- Introduction to Social Institutions - Continuity and Change
- Caste and the Caste System
- The Tribal Community in India
- Family and Kinship
- Overview of Social Institutions - Continuity and Change
Change and Development in Rural Society
- Agrarian Structure: Caste and Class in Rural India
- The Impact of Land Reforms
- The Green Revolution and Its Social Consequences
- Rural Development in India (Sociological Perspective)
- Circulation of Labour
- Globalisation, Liberalisation, and Rural Society
- Overview of Change and Development in Rural Society
Market as a Social Institution
- Introduction to the Market as a Social Institution
- Sociological Perspectives on Markets and the Economy
- Understanding Capitalism as a Social System
- Globalisation – Interlinking of Local, Regional, National and International Markets
- Overview of Market as a Social Institution
Change and Development in Industrial Society
- Introduction to Change and Development in Industrial Society
- Images of Industrial Society
- Industrialisation in India
- How People Find Jobs
- How is Work Carried Out?
- Working Conditions
- Home-based Work
- Strikes and Unions
- Overview of Change and Development in Industrial Society
Pattern of Social Inequality and Exclusion
- Introduction to Pattern of Social Inquality and Exclusion
- What is Social About Social Inequality and Exclusion?
- Caste and Tribe – Systems Justifying and Perpetuating Inequality
- Struggle for Women’s Equality and Rights
- The Struggles of the Disabled
- Overview of Pattern of Social Inequality and Exclusion
The Challenges of Cultural Diversity
- Introduction to the Challenges of Cultural Diversity
- Cultural Communities and the Nation-state
- Regionalism in the Indian Context
- The Nation-state and Religion-related Issues and Identities
- State and Civil Society
- Overview of The Challenges of Cultural Diversity
Globalisation and Social Change
- Introduction to Globalisation and Social Change
- Are Global Interconnections New to World and to India
- Overview of Globalisation and Social Change
Suggestions for Project Work
- Variety of Methods
- Possible Themes and Subjects for Small Research Projects
Mass Media and Communication Process
- Introduction to Mass Media and Communication Process
- The Beginnings of Modern Mass Media
- Mass Media in Independent India
- Globalisation and the Media
- Overview of Mass Media and Communication Process
Social Movements
- Introduction to Social Movements
- Features of a Social Movement
- Sociology and Social Movements
- Types of Social Movements
- Ecological Movements
- Class Based Movements
- Caste Based Movements
- The Tribal Movements
- Womens’ Movement in India
- Overview of Social Movements
Estimated time: 37 minutes
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Industrial Society
- Industrialisation replaces face-to-face relations with impersonal and anonymous relationships in factories and workplaces.
- Division of labour increases, where workers perform only small, repetitive tasks and do not see the final product.
- Work often becomes exhausting and alienating, a condition described by Karl Marx as alienation, where people work only to survive.
- Industrial society creates some equality, such as reduced caste distinctions in public spaces like trains, buses, and workplaces.
- New inequalities emerge, especially income and gender inequality, with upper castes dominating high-paying professions and women often receiving lower wages than men.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: The Specificity of Indian Industrialisation
- Indian industrialisation is different from Western countries because a large part of the population is still employed in agriculture, not industry.
- In India, agriculture employs the maximum number of workers but contributes much less to economic growth compared to services.
- A major feature of Indian industrialisation is the dominance of the unorganised (informal) sector, where most workers lack job security and benefits.
- Regular salaried employment is limited in India; many workers are self-employed or work as casual labourers.
- Industrialisation in India has not reduced inequality significantly, as caste, region, and informal employment continue to shape work opportunities.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Globalisation, Liberalisation and Changes in Indian Industry
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: How People Find Jobs
- Most people find jobs through personal contacts, not advertisements or employment exchanges.
- A large number of people are self-employed (plumbers, electricians, tutors, freelancers, etc.).
- In factories, earlier recruitment happened through jobbers/mistris, but their role has reduced now.
- Many workers today are employed as contract or casual labourers, especially in construction and factories.
- Government schemes like MUDRA, Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India promote employment and self-employment.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: How is work carried out?
- Control of Work – Managers try to increase production by extending working hours or increasing output using machines.
- Mechanisation – Machines increase productivity but reduce the need for workers and create fear of unemployment.
- Alienation of Workers – Factory workers often feel like extensions of machines, doing repetitive and exhausting work.
- Outsourcing & Contract Work – Companies outsource work to cut costs, leading to job insecurity and work pressure for workers.
- Service Sector Work – Even IT and service jobs follow strict time control, long hours, and pressure, showing modern forms of exploitation.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Working Conditions
- Harsh and Unsafe Conditions – Many workers, especially in mining, work in dangerous environments like underground mines with risk of accidents, flooding, fires and gas leaks.
- Health Problems – Workers often suffer from diseases such as tuberculosis, silicosis and breathing problems due to dust, gases and poor ventilation.
- Weak Implementation of Laws – Although labour laws exist, they are mostly followed only in big companies; small mines and contractors often ignore safety rules.
- Migrant Workers – Many industries depend on migrant workers who live in crowded rooms, work long hours and have little job security.
- Social Impact – Migration and poor working conditions lead to loneliness, vulnerability and family separation, though for some women it brings economic independence.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Home-based work
- Part of the Economy – Home-based work is an important part of the economy and includes making lace, zari, bidis, carpets, agarbattis, etc.
- Who Does It – It is mainly done by women and children inside homes.
- Role of Contractors – Contractors provide raw materials, collect finished goods, and sell them in the market.
- Low Wages – Workers are paid on a piece-rate basis, so earnings are very low and irregular.
- Lack of Protection – Home-based workers have no job security, no fixed wages, and no labour law protection.
CBSE: Class 12
Key Points: Strikes and Unions
- Reason for Strikes – Workers go on strike to protest against harsh working conditions, low wages, and denial of rights.
- Meaning of Strike & Lockout – In a strike, workers stop working; in a lockout, management shuts the workplace.
- Role of Trade Unions – Trade unions organise workers and fight for better wages, job security, and the right to form unions.
- Bombay Textile Strike (1982) – Led by Dr. Datta Samant, it involved nearly 2.5 lakh workers and lasted about two years.
- Impact of the Strike – Many workers lost jobs, mills closed, and workers shifted to casual labour or other cities.
