RWANDA/CONTINUITY AND CHANGE

SOCIAL CONTINUITY DEFINITION

the perpetuation of social processes, patterns, structures and interactions

Social change definition

The alteration or modification of elements in a society. Change can occur at the micro, meso and macro levels. It can be brought about by modernisation processes, including technological innovation. This force results in an alteration to culture. Ex: amendment to the marriage act allowing same-sex couples to get married

THEORY: berry’s model of acculturatio

• Measures contacts between different cultures and the outcome of such contavts

• Acculturation occurs when members of one cultural group adapt the beleifs and behaviours of another group

Evolutionary change

incremental changes that accumulate over a long period of time to alter society on a large scale - typically seen as unilinear

Examples of evolutionary change

enviromentalism, demographic change

transformative change definition

a change that involves a sudden break with the past

Rosanna Labloome’s 4 characteristics of transformative change

1. The pace - the speed at which it affects society

2. Macro-level rupture in the social struutre - leads to a reconstruvtion of key social institutions

3. Micro level ruptute in the social structure - core behaviours must be modified to achieve long-lasting goals

4. Threat to cultural diversity

resistance to change

• can occur at all levels of society

• Individuals may resist change for reason such as the pace of innovation, beliefs and values, fears of the future

• Can range from disagreements on a personal level to strikes, boycotts or violence

Cultural lag

• coined by William Ogburn

• Refers to the time during which ‘traditional aspects’ of society are catching up wiith shifting social norms and other cultural advantages

• Material culture evolves faster than non-material cultural

Micro level of change

• level of change depends on the individual

• Impacts individuals behaviour, value, self-identity and relationships

Raymond Kurzweili’s accelerating change theory

• new tech whill be invented faster

• Tech progress is doubling each decade

• Future shcock: too much change in a short period of time

• Information overload: becomes difficult to make decisions as a result

meso level change

• change driven by community group

• Localisation: community tailors certain ideas and practices to suit it’s local context

• Effects of social change vary between different communities

meso level continuity

• ‘revitalisation’ a response to change can be for groups to focus on the continuity of their culture

• Zapasita in mexico has adpted some aspects of modernity but have focused on maintaining continuity in their traditions, language values and land

macro-level change

• can be evolutionary or transformative

• Can lead to permanet alerations in previously established norms and traditions

• Change drivisn by meso and micro levels of society

• Evolution of social expectation can lead to to macro-level change organically -ex: same-sex marriage

• Example: apology to the stolen generation, anti-terrorism laws

industrialisation definition

the socioeconomic process where a society shifts from a primary, agrarian-based economy focused on manual labor and farming to a manufacturing-based economy driven by machinery, factory systems, and mass production

Features of industrialisation

• urbanisation - people moving to ctieis

• Division of labour - labour becoming more specialised

• Rationalism - the view that regards reason as the chief source of knoweldge

westernation meaning

• a social process where the values, customs and practices of western industrial capitalism form the basis of cultural change

• Examples: adoption of english in many countries outside the UK

• Mcdonald’s/KFC - western brands with products avalible in non-western countries

• Accelerated by globalisation

ethnocentrism

attidue commonly held in the west that ‘western societies are the best’

reflexitive modernisation

• reform of and reorganisation of social struvtures due to problems caused by modernisation

• Ex: sustainilbity, feminism

China - modernisation does not equal westernisation

• fastest growing economy in the world

• Urbainisayion - rural workers movoing tomajor cities

• BUT - resistance of western values like freedom and democracy

• Lack of major social or political change. Despite economic growtth

Secularisation

the decline in religious activiies

• globally religion is increasing - religious pluralism

• In Aus secluarisation can be seen - increase in atheism but continuity in christianity

• Most sociologists who supported secularisation thesis in the 1960s no longer believe it

explanations for secularisation

• rationalisation of society

• Industrialisattion leading to the decline of community - religion based around church community

• Talcott parsons - prior to industtrialisation, religion seerved many functions and churches played a significant role in people’s lives

liniear change

• change is cumulative and non-repetitive

• Involves measurable growth -ex: people living in cities

Cylical. Change

• change is repetitive and the same pattern may occur multiple times

• Explains the rise and fall of civilisations + political economic cycles

dialectical change

combination of linieal and cyclical change - short-term repetitive chsnge occurs + long-term change

conflict theory - overview

• key theorists: Karl Marx, Max Weber

• Focus: how social change and development are derived from conflict, resulting from inequalities and differences in power in any given society

• Assumens change is normal + inequalities in power are built into all social structures

conflict theory - main points

• competition is an inherent characteristic of humans

• Inequaliies between social striuctures and orrganisations such as religious groups

• Ex: US civil rights struggles and the sufraggete movement

marxist conflict theory

• bourgeosie vs proletariat

• Ruling class derives its power from owning and controlling resources

• Working class lacks power and is exploited by ruling class

• Revolution needed to overthrow ruling class

• ‘Class consciousness’ - make the people who are opressed aware of their opression and once they are aware they wil help make a new system

feminist conflict theory

• Explores conflict between men and women

• Patriarchy opresses women

• Limited power in society

criticisms of conflict theory

• downplays unity in society

• Neglects social stability

• Does not account for incremental change

• Examples of change without violent revolution

functialist theory overview

Theorists” emelie durkheim, talcott parsons

Focus: the ways in which social structures meet social needs

• as societies develop they become ever more complex and interdependent

• Soceity function more effectively whn there is clear social order

Functionalist theory main points

• emeline durkeheim believed social norms and values are the rules that gocvern social life + society is held tofether by solidaity and agreement

• Talcott parsons - insttions collaborate with others to maintain stability

• Manifest functions - intended consequences + latent - unintended Consequences

• Change viewed as undesireable

• Social facts: ways off thinking that will exist after individuals

criticisms of functionalism

• emphasis on social stablity raather than change

• Explains slow institutional change but cannot deal with rapid change

• Ignores conflict and negative functions -ex: divorce in the fmily

symbolic interactionsim Overview

Devloped by George Mead and herber blumer

• people shape the world and individuals act according to their interpretatio of the world

interationism main theme

• humans are the only ‘symbol manipulating creatures - use this to make sense of the world

• Social world is dynamic and the outcome of social encounters always unstable

• Humans are not solitary - always connected to others

• Interactiionists looking to create outline of generic social processes by looking beneath common symbols

main points of symbolic interactionsim

• society consists of organised and patterned interactions

• People look for patterns of interactions btween individuals

• Interaction and communication create meaning and that’s how people make sense of thr world

• Behaviour ajusted based on beliefs of others

criticisms of symbolic interactionsim

• over-emphasis on the individual and doesn’t focus on social structures

• Narrow focus on one-to-one interaction

• Does not attempt to explain macro level social changr

evolutionry theory overviw