Social Change Theories

Transcription

1 Social Change Theories I. Evolutionary Theories of Social Change The central argument of evolutionary theory was that - human society progresses from simple to more complex forms from a backward to an advanced state - by means of continuous processes of growth and differentiation The progressive evolution of society was assumed to be gradual, ordered, and incremental Most importantly, the evolutionary process was viewed as unilinear. All human societies follow a singular and particular course between the simple primitive and the complex modern 1. August Comte Social evolution based on intellectual development, He argued social development was based on the evolution of ideas and on the successive rationalization of human thought, He envisaged a process whereby societies passed through three stages, each of which corresponded to a particular mode of thought Primitive. Theological Transitional... Metaphysical (existence, truth and knowledge) Industrial.. Positive reasoning Comte s central idea was that the development of knowledge and beliefs goes hand-in-hand with the form of organization of society and its institutions Theological dominated by primitive religious thoughts, intuition and emotion ruled by military and religious elites social life and moral values are centered on the family and kinship ties 1

2 Metaphysical Critical thought more developed Polytheism given way to belief in a single deity Law codified More complex social system State emerged as a dominant social organization Positive reasoning Emerged in the 19 th century with the development of European industrial society Social organization reaches its most complex form Scientific principles and pure reasoning reign supreme Religion rejected 2. Herbert Spencer In Comte s view, all societies inevitably and necessarily pass through these three stages as they develop Shared Comte s unilinear conception of evolutionary stages in human development, Shared Comte s view that human society functions in the same way as biological organism Just as each part of an organism is interdependent and contributes to its survival, so too each part of society (e.g. political system, the economy and family), As societies evolve, they become increasingly complex in structure as well as function Simple unspecialized structures break down into many separate specialized parts 2

3 Trend of development - movement from simple, homogeneous, undifferentiated societies to complex, heterogeneous, differentiated ones, each component of society becoming more specialized, but the whole remaining integrated According to Spencer, social evolution occurs because the environment of a society changes and society must adapt in order to survive. Spencer s typology of evolution Militant Societies Based upon external warfare and internal, coercion and regimentation Little protection of individual rights Status is ascribed Cultural values stress loyalty, obedience faith in authority and discipline Industrial Societies Based on contractual relation, voluntary cooperation, justice and peace Freedom and individual rights emphasized Status is based upon achievement with social mobility an important feature of social stratification Dominant cultural values include mutual respect, independence, individual initiative and truthfulness II. Modernization Theory of Social Change The modernization paradigm became particularly popular in anthropological and sociological circles, as well as among economists in the USA in the late 1950s and 1960s. Places a heavy emphasis on technology and economic development as the chief determinants of social institutions and culture. Present pre-modern and modern societies as dichotomies or at opposite poles in the spectrum of social development 3

4 Thus, social change is seen as evolution - from the traditional to the rational ; - from agricultural to industrial ; - from small-scale, personal society to large-scale, impersonal society; - from the rural to the urban way of life; - from religious to secular modes of thought; - from stratification systems based on ascription to those based on achievement ; - from the simple undifferentiated structures of the primitive to the apparent complexity and differentiation of the modern. Such simple dichotomies were characteristic of the 19 th sociological thought. For example: century 1. Ferdinand Tonnies ( ) provide an account of the contrasting characteristics of traditional and modern societies in terms of the ideal types Gemeinschaft and Gessellschaft. Gemeinschaft = Community - pre-industrial society dominated by family life - unity based on intimate, allembracing personal ties of kinship, neighborliness and friendship - intimate and enduring social relations - the community dominates the individual - homogenous individuals sharing the same values and beliefs - individual status is based on ascription Gessellschaft = Association - industrial type society based on impersonal, contractual - individuals associate for personal gain - social relations are not based on personal ties - status is achieved 4

5 2. Emil Durkheim Provides an account for the distinction between traditional and modern society by reference to a supposed evolution from the mechanical solidarity characteristics of primitive societies towards the organic solidarity of industrial societies According to Durkheim, Traditional societies with a minimum degree of division, in which there are few specialized roles, exhibit a form of social solidarity which he described as mechanical On the other hand, modern societies, with a complex division of labor and a high degree of occupational specialization are characterized by a form of social solidarity referred to as organic In traditional social systems, social cohesion is derived from similarity and conformity By contrast, modern complex social systems, social cohesion is based on the interdependence arising from diversity Durkheim perceives social change as consisting of a progressive, gradual and one-way movement from mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity Social evolution thus takes the form of increased social differentiation, whereby specialized institutions develop and deal with particular and distinct spheres of social life For Durkheim, Pre-modern societies, characterized by mechanical solidarity evolve gradually to modern societies based upon organic solidarity. 5

6 3. More contemporary modernization theorists such as Levy, Smelser, and Moore Modernization is defined directly in terms of technological and economic development Modernization seen as involving: Increased division of labor, Use of rational management techniques, Improved technology, and The growth of industrial and commercial activities Changing economic and technological changes involve concomitant changes in social, political and cultural forms At a political level - the development of political parties, parliament and elections, which support a democratic-pluralist system Culturally the secularization of modes of thought and the creation of a value system to economic advancement Socially high literacy rates, the development of a comprehensive educational system, urbanization and the emergence of new sources of authority III. Social Mov t, Social Intervention and Social Change While the theories on social change discussed above see processes of social change from a structuralist position i.e. they concentrate on: o the social structures and o the changing nature of social institutions This perspective places the human agent into the social equation, There are social groups and individuals who attempt to somewhat bring about change using different ideas about what is a desirable society 6

7 One of the basis for their social action is social movement Social movements are generally understood to be what is called noninstitutionalized i.e. they are outside the existing institutional arrangements of society These non-institutional aspects provide with a mechanism to criticize the existing form of social arrangements and to act as a catalyst for social change and social reorganization Another avenue for social intervention is through community development Here, interventions take place at community level, particularly targeting specific groups who may be relatively powerless Attempts to empower these individuals and groups through a combination of institutional and non-institutional avenues for social reorganization 7

8 IV. Class Exercise - Three groups - Each social change theory Questions 1. Summarized presentation of each theory 2. Does it explain social change and why? 8