Understanding Culture, Society and Politics - Module 2: Social, Political and Cultural Change (VOCABULARY flashcards)

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key concepts of social, political, and cultural change from the module.

Social change

Transformation of social institutions and relationships among people in groups over time.

Cultural change

Transformation of culture or the way people live, including changes in material and non-material cultural elements.

Governance

The system or ideology used to express authority in a country (e.g., democracy, monarchy, oligarchy).

Democracy

A form of government in which the people have the power to participate in decision-making.

Monarchy

A form of government led by a monarch (king or queen) who may have varying levels of power.

Oligarchy

A small group holds power over a country or organization.

Diffusion

The process by which cultural traits are borrowed, transmitted, and adopted by another society.

Migration

Movement of people that spreads cultural traits between societies.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of cultures and economies, facilitating the spread of cultural traits worldwide.

Invention

The creation of new cultural elements to solve social or cultural problems (e.g., the Internet).

Discovery

The recognition or understanding of already existing elements in the environment, often through scientific research.

Material culture

Tangible objects created by a culture (tools, artifacts, technology) that reflect cultural practices.

Non-material culture

Intangible aspects of culture (beliefs, values, norms, language, rituals).

Social institutions

Organized patterns of beliefs and practices that organize a society (e.g., family, education, religion).

Cultural change vs. social change

Cultural change is broader and includes ideology, technology, and forms of social organization; social change is a part of cultural change and concerns changes in social relationships.

Mechanisms of change

Diffusion, invention, and discovery as key processes driving social and cultural change.