Q.Explain the difference between an in-group and an out-group. Can a group that was once seen as an out-group later become an in-group? Explain with reference to the chapter.
An in-group is a group whose members share enough of a sense of identity to think of themselves collectively as 'us' or 'we', a feeling that simultaneously marks people outside the group as 'them' or 'they'. An out-group is the mirror image — those who do not belong to the in-group — and out-group members can, in some circumstances, face suspicion or hostility from the in-group; migrants are a commonly cited example of a population treated as an out-group by an already-settled community.
The chapter makes clear, however, that this boundary is not permanent. M.N. Srinivas's fieldwork in the village of Rampura in 1948 found villagers using two distinct expressions to talk about migrants depending purely on how long ago they had settled: recent arrivals were dismissively called people who had 'come yesterday or the day before', while those whose families had been there for generations were respectfully described as belonging to 'old lineages'. Within the same broad category of 'migrant', some had effectively already crossed over from out-group to in-group status through nothing more than the passage of time and continued presence in the village.
This shows that a group once seen as an out-group can indeed become an in-group later, through sustained interaction and the passage of time — the boundary between the two categories is a social product, continuously drawn and redrawn, rather than a permanent fact fixed once and for all.
An in-group is a group whose members identify as 'us', with everyone else falling into the 'them' out-group; yes, a group once treated as an out-group can become part of the in-group over time — as Srinivas's Rampura fieldwork shows, where long-settled migrants came to be treated with the same standing as 'old lineages' while only recent arrivals were still treated as outsiders.
Unlock everything free for 14 days
- Full step-by-step solutions
- Concept-first explanations
- Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
- PYQ mapping + timed mock tests
Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.