Socially, it feels as if .....

[flowersophy]

Hi,

Does "socially" mean "relating to sb's social class"?

Socially, it feels as if I’m on a different planet altogether. This is Bulawayo – second-largest city in this country – and I’m on the noisy playground of a ‘Junior’ school ......I’m too young to understand any political subtleties and am only aware of the strangeness of different realities, almost like different universes, in this beautiful country where I was born. And the differences are highlighted for me because my young Rhodesian life is a constant journey between the city during the school term, and farm life during holidays.
(Quoted from Anthills, Elephants and other Fascinations by Rina Flanagan)

Many thanks!

 

[bennymix]

1. denoting or relating to human society or any of its subdivisions
2. of, relating to, or characteristic of the experience, behaviour, and interaction of persons forming groups

From an online dictionary (Collins Concise). I'm not sure class is an issue. Society of the city is different from that in farm country.

 

[flowersophy]

I am sorry that I left out this part in the middle of the quotation:
I should say “European” kids, according to official local classification, since none of Chimberi’s family members are here... not even distant relatives, not even people from tribes other than Chimberi’s! Anyone who looks like Chimberi in this country is called “Black”. If the different tribes were to be described separately, there would be several “race” classifications. There are Shona’s, Ndebele’s, Kalanga’s... just in my small circle of acquaintances, and others I don’t even know about.
I think the author is talking about the social classification of the white and black people during the period of British rule over that country.

 

[bennymix]

Yes, I think race is part of it.