The term ‘society’ is used in several sciences. Generally any organised human group is described as society. For instance, g group of women is looked upon as a society.
Similarly, there are specific associations which are wrongly regarded as society. There are many examples of such associations but it will serve our purpose of quoting a few of them. They are Harijan society, Bramho society, Labour society, Students society, Teacher’s society and the like but.
These associations do not fit into our concept of society in the strict sociological sense, They cannot be mistaken for society at best they like us close to the popular meanings of the term society and they cannot help us in a scientific study of society.
Therefore the sociologists have tried to define society in a way which distinguished it from other sociological concepts like group, association, institution, community etc. According to them the term society does not imply a group of persons or individuals.
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It implies the complex pattern of the norms of interaction among people. These people are agents of social relationship. They are regarded as things.
A society is intangible. It is a process rather than a thing mention rather than structure. Society is the system of relationship the pattern of the norms of interaction. The members of society maintain themselves with the help of these relationship and norms.
Mac Iver and Page, say that “Society is a system of usages and procedures of authority and mutual aid of many groupings and divisions of controls of human behaviour and liberties.”
F. H. Giddings is of the view that “Sociology is the union itself the organisation the sum of formal relations in which associating individuals are bound together.”
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M. Ginsberg defines “Society as a collection of individuals united by certain relations or modes of behaviour which mark them” off from others who do not enter into these relation or who differ from them in behaviour.”
Lapier thinks that to them “Society refers not–to group of people but to the complex pattern of the norms of interaction that arises among and between them.”
G. D.H. Cole describes “Society as the complex of organist association and institution within the community.”
Leacock says that “Society includes not only the political relations by which men are bound together but the whole range of human relations and collective activities.”
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In the view of A.W. Green “A society is largest group to which any individual belongs. A society is made up of a population organisation, time, place and interest.”