Kabir grew up in a Malayalam-speaking Christian family in a fishing village in Kerala. At nineteen he joined the state football team and moved to the capital, where his teammates come from many districts, faiths and languages. He trains every morning with the squad. In the village he still belongs to his family, his parish and his language community, and he travels home for every festival, as he has done since childhood.
Which of the following describes Kabir's membership of his family, parish and language community?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → It has no preconditions, and yet it is total.
Option (1) It has no preconditions, and yet it is total. — Correct. Kabir did nothing to earn his family, parish or language community; he was born into them. Even so, this membership is total: it holds his whole self, as his trips home for every festival show.
Option (2) It has no preconditions, and so it is limited. — Incorrect. Having no preconditions does not make membership weak or partial. Ascriptive membership is total, and others keep identifying a person by it even if he tries to disown it.
Option (3) It depends on conformity, and so it is total. — Incorrect. Kabir's village membership was never earned by meeting a condition such as conformity. An ascriptive identity is fixed by birth and involves no choice by the person.
Option (4) It depends on conformity, and so it is limited. — Incorrect. Both halves are wrong here. Community membership asks for no condition, and it is total.
NCERT (2026-27): “6.1 The Importance of Community Identity … |