1. Impact of Societal Institutions On Caribbean Culture and Society

2. Objectives
Gain a thorough understanding of the different social institutions: family, education, political systems
Understand the main ideas of the Marxist and Functionalist perspectives
Understand the Marxist and Functionalist perspective on social institutions

3. Social Institutions
Social Institutions are a fundamental part of the operations of society. They are the major organising framework in social life. Social institutions have evolved overtime and therefore embody what the society holds valuable in relation to family, education, religion, the justice system, the economy and health.

4. Each social institution has functions that ensure the smooth working of the social system as they often illustrate the need for order, uniformity and consensus.
Social institutions determine and guide behaviour: they signify what is accepted and what is not
Social institutions are intangible. They are represented through our cherished beliefs and ideas (values)

5. Sociological Perspectives
A sociological perspective may best be described as a way of seeing or understanding social reality.
Two of the dominant sociological perspectives that can be used to analyse social institutions are: The Functionalist Perspective and The Conflict Perspective (Marxism)

6. Functionalism
Is the oldest and most dominant sociological perspective.
Holds a conservative understanding of society and the way social institutions impact on the lives of members. The maintaining of the status quo is of utmost importance
The functionalists are of the view that society can be harmonious for all

7. Functionalism Cont’d
They believe that if there is consensus, then there is the likelihood of order, stability, uniformity and rationality in social life
Everyone has a role to play in society, and if performed effectively this results in maximum productivity and minimum behavioural problems, imbalances and dysfunctions.

8. The Conflict Perspective (Marxism)
This perspective holds an opposing view to the Functionalists
They argue that Functionalist explanations of society disregard the views of the underclass
They identify 2 main classes in society: bourgeoisie and proletariat- upper class and lower class

9. Conflict Perspective Cont’d
They emphasize on conflict and tension between the social groups/ classes in society and not consensus
The conflict stems from the contradictions in social life and how social institutions seem to value some groups over others
Any social order that occurs is as a result of elitist social control (one group oppressing the other)

10. The Social Institution of The Family
The family forms the bedrock of society. Socialization begins in the family, and therefore this institution has the responsibility of transmitting values and norms to the individual and therefore governs individual behaviour

11. The family transmits values on:
The role and responsibilities of its members
Religion
Education and accepted behaviour upon reaching adulthood
E.g. “When I leave school, I want to get a good job, marry and settle down, and have two children.”
The family transmits the expectations of society and socializes
its members to internalize society’s goals as their own.
Some common values associated with the family are: love, belongingness/
togetherness, sharing (cooperation), support, encouragement, caring for the young or
old, provision of shelter, child rearing

12. The Functionalist Perspective on the Family
The functionalists argue that the family should carry out several functions for order, stability and harmony to exist in society. These are:
Reproduction
Socialization
Economic Cooperation
Provision of love and togetherness
If the above functions are carried out in an optimal manner and if everyone
plays a role, then families would be happy and society would not be
threatened by any breakdown of social order.
The Functionalist view o the family has ethnocentric overtones. It assumes that families are nuclear and
that marriage is the basis for the formation of a family. Such a perspective cannot accommodate the
many diverse forms that exist in the region. However the idea of the “nuclear family” is still held as
ideal.

13. The Conflict Perspective on the Family
The family is associated with exploitation, oppression and domination
Nuclear families are seen as products of capitalism where labour has to move to where employment is located, leaving the extended family behind
The employer can exploit workers effectively without this support network in place
The oppressed worker in turn oppresses his wife and children
The nuclear family therefore fits the agenda of the capitalist- sexual division of labour
The assigning of roles through the institutional values associated with the family, has
contributed to family oppression, abuse and violence which results in an unequal
distribution of power that jeopardizes gender relations and even produces
generational conflict.

14. The Social Institution of Education
Education as a social institutions contains our deep beliefs and values about what the young should know and how learning should take place
Schooling is seen as the main route to becoming educated

15. The Functionalist Perspective on Education
Education is seen as an agent of “secondary” socialization in society.
Schools are the main mechanism through which secondary socialization takes place. They provide the link between what is taught in the family (primary socialization) and the wider society
Culture is transmitted through education: the value of obedience, regularity, integration and cohesion, punctuality ,work ethic
Selection devices such as exams sort students into different types of schools e.g. Formal academic institutions versus technical/ vocational institutions
Education supports the institution of religion. In the Caribbean there are strong values which give status to denominational education, for e.g. St. John’s Catholic Primary School
Historically one of the main function of the church was education

16. The conflict Perspective on Education
Education was instituted in order to provide for the needs of the capitalist economy: Capitalism needed a supply of educated workers and so the education system developed to provide this
The education system mirrors the inequalities present in society: the education system is seen to discriminate against the poor. Schooling has several mechanisms which ensure that the poor cannot compete effectively
The education system contributes to a cycle of social reproduction (maintaining of the status quo)
The above is often done through the presence of the “hidden curriculum”

17. The social Institution of Religion
Religion refers to that realm in society where our beliefs about a supernatural power and how these impact on our lives are expressed
Specific religions, churches, mosques, temples halls of worship are tangible outcomes or forms of social organizations that reflect the beliefs and values of religion

18. The Functionalist Perspective on Religion
Social order is crucial to the functionalists and therefore a fundamental function of religion is the maintenance of social stability through consensual values
Commitment to certain beliefs, rituals and forms of worship are seen as mechanisms that increase the levels of social solidarity among people.
Religions are often conservative in nature and therefore play a major role in social cohesion, as values such as obedience, sobriety, truth, discipline among others are taught

19. The Marxist Perspective on Religion
Religion is regarded as serving the needs of the capitalist class
The values taught in religion mirrors those of the capitalist
Religion serves to maintain the status quo and therefore serves to teach the proletariat to accept their status in society (the meek shall inherit the earth). Reality is distorted by promoting the notion that the social order and suffering are manifestations of “the will of GOD”
The capitalist structure of society is so exploitative that the Marxists argue that religion is an avenue that eases suffering and deadens pain