Sociology and Space, No. 71-72, 1981.
Original scientific paper
Cultural Institutions in the Rural Environment
Milan Župančić
Abstract
The author starts by considering
definitions of the term institution
from H. Spencer, A. Comte and E.
Durkheim, to modern American and
Yugoslav sociologists. He decides
here on the definition of an
institution in the more limited
seanse, as a formal and secondary
group that performs standardized
socially necessary activities through
formal organizations.
He gives a critical analysis of some
of the existing classifications of
institutions according to the
functions they carry out for society
and the individual. In his opinion
it is very important to bear in mind
the level of development of a
particular village in analysing the
relationship between social
institutions and the rural
environment. Distinguishing
between the traditional and the
modern village, which is developing
according to the socialist
transformation of the Yugoslav
society, the author indicates how
widespread the institutionalization
of social life in rural Yugoslavia is.
In conclusion, making use of
results of a wider research project
carried out on a sample of 151
villages from the SFRY, he shows
that there is still a large number of
villages that do not even have an
elementary school, let alone any
other essential institution of
cultural life, like a village hall,
public library or cinema. He thus
concludes that the existing level of
illiteracy and incomplete literacy
among the rural population is not
surprising.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
119438
URI
Publication date:
18.6.1981.
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