ABSTRACT
Social institutions are ensconced in the fabric of ideology ( sensu Marx 1846: 67), which is the matrix of social norms and cultural values of the dominant classes in a given period of history. The ideology of a society is (by and large) a stable conglomerate of the dominant value systems, cultural norms and social expectations, governing the behaviour of the society’s members towards each other and towards the material environment. In all societies with class and caste hierarchy, the ideology is determined and shaped by the values and cultural ideals of the dominant class or caste, although this ideology may sometimes conflict with the traditional values and cultural norms derived from the pre-industrialist ideological legacy.
