How Political Order is Made and Repaired - Report Example

How political order is made and repaired  Social Order Set of procedures and rules are evolved in a society over a period of time. Different social orders emerge in different societies, and in the same society at different points of time. Initially unspoken and unwritten, validity for the order is gained over a period of time and adopted to avoid chaos or confusion with the purpose of facilitating orderly dealings in the society. These rules are generally simple, commonly accepted and easy to follow in the ordinary circumstances, and if consistently followed by the people, a semblance of order in the society is ensured. For example between right-hand-driving and left-hand-driving, they may be indifferent in terms of advantages or disadvantages. In some countries the system of right-hand-drive is followed, and in the others it is left-hand-drive. However, for orderly movement, either right or left-hand-drive is required to be followed, and not both, in a particular country. The making of social order Goffman sees social order as being built up from social interactions and is relatively unconcerned with the historical processes that embed these social orderings and the ways in which various orders of interaction are authorised. (The Open University, P.319) For instance, revolution in transportation brought with it a number of associated problems such as accidents, congestion in roads, pollution, etc. Traffic controls and the related group behaviors resulted into major issues of social order. Road user charges and congestion zone charges and toll charges were used as tools for recovery of cost and as a form of control to bring down the level of traffic. In the case of unwritten rules, assumptions and interpretations come into play. These are largely governed by customs in a society, which vary from place to place. Therefore, for the persons living in an environment which is new to them, the assimilation process or adjustment and readjustments would be frustrating initially. Disparities in Societies Understanding the disparities within the society and among the societies is very important since these are the two fundamental factors which governs social as well a political order. There are disparities in a society on account of income levels. The governments constantly endeavor to narrow down these disparities, and introduce social welfare programs for economically weaker sections of the society to ensure peace in the society. But, the disparities exist within the society on account of caste & creed, color, origins, religions, culture, etc are deep rooted.  The social order becomes vulnerable to these factors, if common minimum standards are not worked out and accepted by various groups of the society. These common minimum standards are naturally evolved, in different walks of life over a period of time and form the basis for all the activities in the society. Group Culture and Social Disorder “Ever since the man started living in group, it became an endeavor of the persons to understand the group for shaping up their ideas in relation to the group. The primary aim for understanding the group is to gain dominance over the group, to serve for the welfare of the group or for exploitation.” (Groups Theory, 30 May, 2010) The equilibrium in a society is disturbed due to violence, crime and disorderly behavior of certain groups or by the public at the instigation these groups. The impact of such antisocial activities, rather than violations of rules by individuals undermine the social order. Difficulty in pinpointing the responsibilities in group action is taken advantage of by certain groups in the society. Public Opinion The powerful leader makes the policy, and the less powerful and clever try to do it with public opinion. Public opinion is not the sum of individual opinions and many a times it is nothing to do with the public interest at all. If we can carefully observe, we can discern that these public opinions are created with some grand strategies on the part of the ruling or opposition parties of the country by fanning the passions of the people. The public opinions in many countries were also in favor of dictators like Hitler in the history, and they were the creations of efficient propaganda. Environmental changes During the past decade the social dimensions of the people have been impacted greatly by environmental changes in respect of revolutions in communications, information technology, media and synergy created on convergence of these technologies coupled with emergence of social networking such as facebook and twitter. Social and political awareness created in this process should be harnessed effectively for the growth and development of the societies. It should be recognized that these environmental changes would be useful in achieving homogeneity in the societies in respect of several important social issues world over, through dissemination of information and proper understanding. The consequences brought about by these changes are analyzed and calculated with reference to the resultant benefits to the society after taking into account sacrifices involved in the process and then adopted. Foucault suggests three different types of power involved in the making of social order, which are sovereign power, keeping of information about people in order to control their behavior (keeping under surveillance) and individuals come to see themselves as self-directing, active and choosing agents. (The Open University, P.321) Political Order Foucault stated that the authority to intervene in social life is allocated to certain individuals, such as parents, doctors, teachers, priests and policemen, and this authority is exercised through practices of law, punishment, management, parenthood, education, and the like. (The Open University, P.319) According to Erving Goffman’s simplistic view in the interactions between individuals, order is constantly being produced. Michel Foucault stressed the role of authoritative knowledge in making and changing social order. Governmental and Political institutions are involved in repairing social order on breakdown. The governments are expected to play an active role in the formulation of policies and policy reforms for the growth and development of the society. But the political compulsions largely borne out of religious beliefs in the society become great impediments in the process. Voting rights for the women, abolition of child labor, abolition of slavery, etc. in the history were fraught with conflicts and unrest in the societies. Every community tries to preserve its culture, and thereby identity. Culture, closely linked to religion, is a way of life, and it undergoes changes continuously. This important feature of the social and political order needs to be revisited under the changing circumstances. Repair of political order According to Huntington S.P. stability and not democracy is the goal for this purpose.  The difference between developing and developed states, he claims, is not ideology but the degree to which they are able to maintain public order. (1968). Maintenance of public order is related to enforcement of law, and a strong government is in a position to establish and maintain social and political order effectively. The equilibrium in the society is disturbed due to rigidity, lack of flexibility, failure to adapt and make continuous adjustments and readjustments to the changes on the part of religion.  Religious authority has its limits. Religious extremism, a challenge faced by the world community to-day is the product of religious intolerance. When a government is not in a position to assert its supremacy over religion, and exercise control over it due to political compulsions, social decay sets in. Social control is an important aspect in the new political order. In the parliamentary system of democracy where the chief executive is not chosen directly by the people, the stability of the government world over has been eroded over a period of time. ‘Majority’ in majority of the governments has become a very crucial issue, and coalition form of government is the order of the day, which results in compromises on ideology and adjustments in dealing with the issues of national importance. For example, women’s reservation bill in India, the largest democratic country, aims at increased political participation of women has been opposed by the politicians from the socially and economically backward classes and the government is in a fix, though it has cleared the bill already. While, caste, creed and gender are the national issues in many countries, religion impairs the integration in national as well as international level. The concept of ‘State Religion’ which is an impediment to understanding and growth in international relationships should be eliminated. The religion should be disengaged from politics for effective social control. The world as a whole should be secular to eradicate religious fundamentalism or terrorism in the name of religion which is the greatest challenges to social and political order in the world today. Education System According to Foucault social change emerges when a new discourse achieves greater power, replacing the old one. (The Open University, P.324) The current education system world over concentrates on material benefits of education and fails to inculcate understanding about the society in the minds of the youngsters, and their responsibility towards society. If the system incorporates value based education at least up to middle school level, the students would instinctively use his education as a ‘standard’, and every activity in his life is referred to this standard to ascertain whether an activity is good and acceptable to the society first, and then to him. References Bergalli, R. and Sumner, C. (1997) Social Control and Political Order, Sage Publications Ltd., London, http://books.google.com/books?id=fHK5r2PLusIC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=repair+of+political+order&source=bl&ots=hqWKqkq_cE&sig=gaeAl-pNq_2GBWMzpMETnGpTYrE&hl=en&ei=qowITNvEBdTGrAej6tFv&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CC4Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false Huntingon, S.P. (1968), POLITICAL ORDER IN CHANGING SOCIETIES, New Haven and London: Publisher Yale University Press James, E.C. (2009). Ruptures, rights, and repair: The political economy of trauma in Haiti, Journal Social Science & Medicine, Vol.70, (2010) Issue 1 p. 106-113. Elsevier Ltd, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=MImg&_imagekey=B6VBF-4XFRNR9-1-1&_cdi=5925&_user=10&_pii=S0277953609006315&_orig=search&_coverDate=01/31/2010&_sk=999299998&view=c&wchp=dGLbVzz-SkzV&md5=2df22edf1a2eb9b831e2801d8faca773&ie=/sdarticle.pdf Merinews (2007), Media, religion and politics- all mixed into one, http://www.merinews.com/article/media-religion-and-politics--all-mixed-into-one/127316.shtml Pottanna, S. (30 May, 2010), Groups Theory, http://groupstheory.blogspot.com/ The Open University,(2009). 2.1 Goffman’s interactional order, Making Social Lives. The Open University,(2009). 2.2 Foucault’s order of things, Making Social Lives. Read More