Prelim part 1 HBSE3 SOCIAL CHANGE

Social Change

Social Change

Refers to the alterations in the pattern of social organization of specific groups within a society or of the society itself, leading to modifications in norms, role expectations, sanctions, ranking criteria, and production techniques.

Characteristics of Social Change

Inevitable, ubiquitous, multi-leveled, contagious, with a rate (rapid or slow), detectable, and measurable.

Evolutionary Theory

Views social change as progress, holding a linear perspective that sees recent societies as having achieved the highest level, emphasizing natural, inevitable, and continuous change moving in a particular direction.

Herbert Spencer

Divided society into traditional/military and industrial society, proposing an evolutionary theory of fixed stages and the 'Law of Evolution' moving forms from simple to complex independently of man.

Karl Marx

Conflict theorist contributing to the evolutionary perspective, proposing Historical Materialism theory where societies evolve through stages from primitive communalism to scientific communism.

Evolutionary Theory

Views social change as gradual, holistic, and unidirectional from traditional to modern, emphasizing structural differentiation and maintaining equilibrium through mutual dependence.

Diffusion Theory

Suggests social change results from diffusion of cultural patterns between societies, emphasizing external influence and spread of culture traits from group to group.

Cyclical Theory

Holds that civilizations go through cycles of growth and decay, learning from predecessors, with societies moving through periods of ups and downs in a cyclical manner.

Functionalist Theory

Developed by Emile Durkheim, emphasizes society's interdependent parts maintaining stability, with social change denoting movement from one state of social stability to another.

Conflict Theory

Propounds that change arises from conflict and class struggles among competing groups in society, rooted in the dialectic approach of social and political philosophy.

Modes of Production

Different economic systems in history, such as primitive communalism, slavery, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, and communism, characterized by specific social relations and ownership of means of production.

Social Inequality

Unequal distribution of resources, power, and opportunities among different social classes within a society, often based on ownership of means of production.

Class Struggle

The ongoing conflict between the bourgeoisie (capitalists) who own the means of production and the proletariats (laborers) who sell their labor power, as described by Karl Marx.

Exploitation

The act of taking advantage of someone's labor or resources for one's benefit, often resulting in oppression, alienation, and expropriation of surplus value.

Revolution

A sudden, radical, and often violent change in the social, economic, or political structure of a society, typically led by the exploited classes against the ruling class, aiming to establish a new mode of production.

Conflict Theory

A sociological perspective that views society as a constant struggle for power and resources between different social groups, emphasizing the role of conflict in inducing social change and addressing inequalities.