The content of this tutorial letter is an important and necessary supplement to the prescribed reading for two of your assignments. It is also a most insightful view of society in the 21st century.
The content of this tutorial letter is an important and necessary supplement to the
prescribed reading for two of your assignments. It is also a most insightful view of
society in the 21st century. We hope that it will guide you in completing your
assignments but also that you will find personal enrichment in the knowledge
conveyed in this essay.
2 SOCIETY AS A SOCIO-EDUCATIVE ARENA
2.1 INTRODUCTION
In this section we shall be considering the influence of society on the development
and education of people, especially children. Socio-educationists therefore have to
keep abreast of social and life-style trends, since the prevailing life style of a
society has its effect on educators and children as parties involved in education.
Their tasks include the recognition, in good time, of new trends, dangers or problems
and new opportunities. This in turn helps them to suggest such possibilities
proactively. In addition, groups in society can be made aware of their educational
responsibilities: creating the right opportunities for young people, and removing any
threat or potential threat to (social) education.
2.2 LATE TWENTIETH-CENTURY SOCIETY, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
SOUTH AFRICA
2.2.1 Overview
This study theme contains a description of modern and post-modern postindustrial
society in the late twentieth century. We clarify certain concepts and cite a number of
profiles of modern society that emerge from various literary assessments.
We then focus on the structural and dynamic features of modern and post-modern
society. Finally, we attempt to systematise South African development history in terms
of these profiles and according to certain theories.
Having completed this study theme, you should be able to
define the concept "society"
distinguish between First World and Third World societies
reproduce certain descriptions of modern and post-modern twentieth-century
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, societies
distinguish various layers within the structure of modern and post-modern
twentieth- century society
identify the dynamics of modern and post-modern twentieth-century society
systematise South African development history
distinguish the structural features of South African society
describe the dynamic features of South African society.
And, above all, you should also be able to recognise the educational implications
of all the typologies and developments within society.
2.2.2 Explanation of concepts
Let us take a closer look at the concept "society". In English the word applies to
society in general. The French call it “société”, the Germans “ Gesellschaft”. The
Nguni languages use the concepts “iband” – (a society) and “ebantwini” (in society),
while the Sotho languages refer to “phedishana” (cause to live together) and
“phedishano” (neighbourly interconnection). The Afrikaans and Dutch languages
make a further distinction between "samelewing" and "maatskappy", but this
distinction is not of any concern further.
Society as a topic of discussion has always been and still is popular with many
authors in the human sciences: Fairchild (1977:300), Hoffman (1978:40), Mitchell
(1979:206-207), Odendal, Schoonees, Swanepoel, Du Toit and Booysen (1979:939),
Joubert (1980:24-26), Ezewu (1983) and Kuper and Kuper (1985:794-795) and
many others. These authors make it clear that society as a socio-educative arena
displays the following characteristics:
in structural terms it is the most general and inclusive human grouping
it is relatively autonomous and self-reliant
it is often associated with a defined territory
it includes a combination of diverse communal contexts such as families,
neighborhoods, schools, churches, communities, and industries, plus the
state, and each of these contexts in turn is relatively autonomous and
sovereign within its own ranks
in socio-cultural terms a society is characterised by an internally organised
system through which people interact and are bound together by a common
cultural heritage, handed down from generation to generation, by means of
which that society maintains its continuity
in socio-educational terms society recruits most of its members by educating
and socialising the children of existing members. This ensures the
maintenance and survival of that society, which therefore has a longer
lifetime than the individuals of which it is composed.
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