NAME: Fariha Shahin

ID: 21303029

SECTION: 02

Course Title: Introduction to Sociology

Name of the Faculty Member: Md. Aftab Alam

 Looking at society through Ramna Park
Few theories in sociology offer comprehensive viewpoints that contribute to

explaining a wide range of social life's components. The functionalist perspective, the conflict

perspective, and the symbolic interactionist perspective are the three main theoretical stances

used by sociologists today. Every approach theorizes society, societal factors, and human

behavior in a different way. When it concerns conceptualizing the social facets of society, each

of these fundamental perspectives has a distinct inclination. Therefore, to further explain these

three perspectives the social component that I have chosen for my paper is Ramna Park. I have

visited the place to observe and get knowledge of the component. Thus, this paper will analyze

my observations and knowledge of Ramna Park by using functionalist, conflict, and symbolic

interactionist perspectives.

The first perspective that this paper will focus on is the functionalist

perspective. “Functionalism is a theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can

best be explained in terms of the functions they perform—that is, the contributions they make to

the continuity of society” (Giddens et al. 15). Functionalist theory talks about stability by serving

function. Social components of society serve functions and they provide social stability. A social

component only exists if it serves a function in society. “Functionalism emphasizes the

importance of moral consensus in maintaining order and stability in society” (15). There are

social components that are considered dysfunctional according to moral consensus. “Moral

consensus exists when most people share the same values” (15). Social components can be

functional or dysfunctional. For example, according to moral consensus prostitution is a

dysfunctional element of society. Whereas, a school is a functional element of society. However,

a dysfunctional element can have functional sides as well and vice versa. Furthermore,

functionalism is of two types. One is manifest functions and the other is latent functions.

Manifest function means openly or directly stated functions of a social component. On the other

hand, latent function means indirectly stated functions; functions that are not explicitly stated.

While visiting my chosen social component, I observed the functional and dysfunctional sides of

Ramna Park. Therefore, applying the theory on Ramna Park-

● Manifest function: Many people gather here to exercise or to go for a morning walk.

Community buildup as there are many groups that are formed to exercise together and

they also register to be in a group for group activities. Employment is also a function as

there are cleaners, guards, and sellers. Some photographers were also spotted who came
here to take aesthetic pictures of the sunrise.
A huge morning walk path.
A huge playground for children.
Sellers selling handmade flower accessories.

Seller selling Pithas.

 Sellers selling soap bubble toy guns.

● Latent function: A dating spot for couples. This function is not explicitly stated.

● Dysfunctional sides: As there is no specific smoking zone, people smoke everywhere.

Verbal sexual harassment is faced by women.

The next theory is the conflict perspective theory which is another central concept

in the study of sociology. The conflict perspective talks about social inequality. According to the

conflict perspective, the existing societal arrangements primarily benefit one group of individuals

at the expense of others, as opposed to being advantageous to society as a whole. “ [...]

institutional arrangements grant a disproportionate share of wealth, power, and privilege to

certain individuals and classes [...]” (Thompson et al. 138). Conflict perspectives include class,

race, and ethnic inequality. It also includes gender inequality which falls under the feminist

perspective. A social component can reflect or create inequality. According to my observation of

my chosen social component, Ramna Park creates and reflects class inequality. As stated before,

there are various groups created in Ramna Park to exercise or walk together. This community of

people also does some extra activities such as having breakfast together or going on picnics.

They collect funds for those extra activities and each member does have to pay for the funds.

As you can see below, each member paid 1,500 BDT for the funds. As my father (MD. Firoz

Shahin on the list) is a part of the community and positioned higher he had to pay 25,000 BDT

for the picnic alone. Moreover, their total expense is very high. This community only consists of

upper-class people. Lower-class people cannot afford to spend their money to be in a community

like that. This is how Ramna Park is creating and also reflecting class inequality.
 The last theory is symbolic interactionist theory which is a fundamental concept for

comprehending how people interact with society. This theory examines the nature of social

connections and how people interpret their interactions with others to assign meanings to things

in their environment. “According to Mead, human beings live in a richly symbolic universe”

(Giddens et al. 14). These symbols are socially learned. There are different types of symbols-

verbal language, nonverbal language, and written language. Signs, gestures, and shared values

are all part of symbolic interaction. In the Ramna Park, men often greet each other by hugging or

doing handshakes. These gestures are a symbol of affection. Many women are seen wearing

hijabs. Hijab is a symbol of modesty. Some people are seen riding bicycles or scooters in the

park. These are status symbols. Many people wear Apple watches to count their steps and

calories. The Apple Watch is a symbol of status.

Bicycles are parked everywhere.

Bridges- Status symbol.

 In conclusion, it is evident that all three perspectives make an effort to describe

how society is organized and how a social component works. My chosen social component,

Ramna Park was analyzed by using all the core three perspectives of sociology. Ramna park has

manifest functions, latent functions as well as some dysfunctional functions. It also creates and

reflects class inequality according to the conflict perspective. And lastly, there are symbols

present in interactions that help assign meanings.

WORKS CITED
Giddens, Anthony, et al. Introduction to Sociology. W.W. Norton & Company, 2021.

Thompson, William E., et al. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. Rowman &

Littlefield, 2019.