Social change and cultural change sociology notes
Social Change
Change is a very broad concept. Though change is all around us, we do not refer to all of it as social change. Thus, physical growth from year to year, or change of seasons do not fall under the concept of social change. In sociology, we look at social change as alterations that occur in the social structure and social relationship.
Definition of Social Change
1. The International Encyclopaedia of the Social Science (IESS 1972) looks at “change as the important alterations that occur in the social structure, or in the pattern of action and interaction in societies.” Alterations may occur in norms, values, cultural products and symbols in a society.
2. According to M.E. Jones(Book- Basic Sociological Principles) : “Social change is a term used to describe variations in, or modifications of, any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interaction or social organisation”.
3. Kingsley Davis in his book Human Society : “By social change is meant only such alterations as occur in social organisation, that is, structure and functions of society”.
4. According to MacIver(Book -Society) “ social change as simply a change in the human relationships.”
Thus the term ‘social change’ is used to desirable variations in social interaction, social processes and social organisation. It includes alterations in the structure and functions of the society.
Characteristics of Social change
1. Social change is Continuous: Society is undergoing endless changes. These changes cannot be stopped. Society cannot be preserved in a museum to save it from the ravages of time. From the dawn of history, down to this day society has been in continuous flux.
2. Social change is Temporal: Change happens through time social change is temporal in the sense it denotes the time-sequence. In fact society exists only as a time-sequence. As MacIver says” it is a becoming, not being; a process, not a product.”
3. Social change is Environmental: It must take place within a geographic or physical & cultural context. Both these contexts have impact on human behavior & in turn man changes them. Social changes never take place in vacuum.
4. Social change is Human change: The sociological significance of the change consists in the fact that it involves the human aspect. The composition of society is not constant, but changing. The fact that people effect change & are themselves affected by it makes change extremely important.
5. Social change Results from Interaction of a Number of Factors: A single factor may trigger a particular change, but it is always associated with other factors. The physical, biological, technological, cultural & other factors may, together bring about social change. This is due to the mutual interdependent of social phenomenon.
6. Social change may Create Chain Reaction: Change in one aspect of life may lead to a series of changes in its other aspects. For example. Change in rights, privileges & status of women has resulted in a series of changes in home, family relationships & structure, the economic & to some extent, the political pattern of both rural & urban society.
7. Social change is Universal process: Social change in every society. There is no static society in the world. It may take a longtime the of change may very but it certainly occurs. It is a universal process.
8. Social change may be Planned or Unplanned: the direction & tempo of social change are often conditioned by human engineering. Man in order to determine and control the rate and direction of social change may lunch plans, programmed & projects. Unplanned change refers to change resulting from natural calamities such as famines & floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc.
Cultural Change
Culture – The word ‘culture’ derives from a Latin word ‘colere’ which means to cultivate. At 1st the concept of culture was given by the British Anthropologist E. B. Tylor in his book, ‘Primitive Culture’. E. B. Tylor said that-
“Culture… is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society”.
Cultural Change – Cultural change is related to culture. When there is change in culture, it indicates the cultural change. Culture is manmade part of environment. For example, language, art, religion, law, road, car, bus, dress etc. are cultural components.
It also refers to any changes in both material and non material aspects of culture and social life.
Material cultures are tangible. We can see, touch and feel the material culture. They are manmade objects such as tools, furniture, auto mobiles, buildings, roads, bridges etc. it also includes technical and material equipment like a pen and paper, television, computers and so on. Material cultures change faster than non material culture.
Non material cultures are intangible. We can feel and sense but not see and touch for example language, religion, law, customs etc.
Definition of Cultural Change
1. Horton & Hunt: “changes in the culture of society is called cultural change.”
2. Kingsley Davis: “cultural changes embarrasses Occurring in any branch of culture including, art, science, technology, philosophy etc. as well as changes in the forms and rules of social organization.”
Characteristics of Cultural change
1. Cultural change is regular process.
2. Cultural change in whole life style and behavior change.
3. Cultural change is material & non-material change.
4. Cultural change helpful in social change.
5. Cultural change in fooding and dressing change.
6. Cultural change is broad change.
7. Cultural change is general law.
8. Cultural change affected by diffusion, adaptation, developmental activities & acculturation. etc.
Difference between Social change and Cultural Change
