By. Y. UMUHUZA MUGISHA, JadeTimes News
The Role of Norms in the Shaping of Society in Africa
Norms are unwritten rules and expectations specifying behavior in a society. They are vital for order creation and, more important, guide social interactions towards achieving a sense of a community. Culture's variability makes norms diverse in nature, but the universality in their reach is indisputable in every facet of behavior and societal structure of humanity. This paper, therefore, examines the significance of the wide range of norms and how they impact social development and cohesion.
Forms of norms
There are several types of norms, all playing some unique role in society. These include the following:
1. Folkways: These include everyday, common customs and practices that are taken by society but not generally strictly enforced. Examples of folkways in this country include shaking hands upon meeting someone and saying "please" and "thank you." They generally help to make behavior polite and social interaction smooth.
2. Mores: These are norms embedded in the moral views of society and are considered to be essential tools of regulating ethical behavior within any society. If someone was to go against the mores, serious consequences follow such as social outcast or any other severe punishment. Examples include norms against theft, murder, and adultery.
3. Taboos: They are the strongest type of norms, and their violation will lead to our doing those things which are regarded as very offensive and are strictly prohibited. There is usually a religious or cultural implication involved, and a breach of a taboo may bring severe consequences or punishment for the individual. Of these, incest and cannibalism are two that are, in the main, considered taboo in most societies.
4. Laws: Laws are formal norms, codified and enforced by the state: they represent the minimum standards of behavior required to maintain public order. Laws, like norms are derived from societal values and agreed upon behaviors, but laws are generally considered to be more formalized and have the power of the state behind them in their creation. While law is derived from societal agreements, it is, in turn,responsible for influencing and shaping the norms within a society. While in some cases, laws do share the same drivers as norms, an
1. Social Order : Norms are that there exists a predictable pattern of behavior downside, which provides individual the way to predict what is expected of the other and, at the same time, what can be expected from them in different situations. Hence, this predictability reduces conflicts and ensures social harmony.
2. Socialization: Norms are good instruments that the society uses to help individuals learn how to behave according to the expectations of their societies. People are taught the norms of their society from a very tender age and consequently fit into their communities.
3. Cohesion and Identity: Because of the homogeneity in behavioral patterns, shared norms impart a feeling of belongingness and a sense of collective identity. It helps in providing a common platform for people and in so doing, increases solidarity and oneness within a group or society.
4. Social Control: Largely, norms are for the purpose of monitoring and controlling human behavior socially. To be more specific, it guides human behavior and discourages deviance. If at all individuals are going to act in accordance with societal norms, they will not have to bear any sanctions. In addition, they are also accepted by their peers.
Norms and Cultural Differences
Such norms can vary across cultures greatly, representing discrepancies in what sets of particular values, beliefs, and practices. For example, what may be considered rude or an act of appropriateness in one culture may be considered as a form of politeness in another. These differences, at times, can even result in a confrontation between parties, especially when they belong to different cultures. However, consciousness and respect for the norms of other cultures are extremely important ingredients in creating global harmony and their respective synergy to be geometrically enhanced.
Norms' Evolution
Norms cannot be static; they change as humans and their societies change. Changes in social values, globalization, and technological advances among other factors, result in new norms being set while some old norms take on a new kind of definition. A good example in this context would be changes in people's attitudes toward gender roles and equality, which have seen unprecedented shifts in light of far-reaching social changes in most parts of the world.
Challenges to Norms
The existence of norms provides stability, but at the same time could be struggled against frameworks by social movements or individuals that aim for change. For instance, civil rights movements throughout history have striven against discriminatory norms, fighting for increased equality. It is through such struggles that social progress is often made, and this is how more just and inclusive norms are created.
Norms are the invisible threads that hold societies together. They determine what we do—that is, shape our behavior—as well as guide our interactions. Although norms are subject to change over time and across cultures, they still play the role of social glue and expectations for behavior. Human social life will be dynamic as societies emerge and evolve, and so will the norms guiding their actions. Anybody who is interested in the nuances of social behavior and the mechanisms that maintain the sustainability of social order needs to understand the role of norms.
