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Chapter 16
Social Change and Social
Movements
Chapter Outline
• What is Social Change?
• Theories of Social Change
• Global Theories of Social Change
• Modernization
• The Causes of Social Change
• Collective Behavior and Social Movements
• Diversity, Globalization and Social Change
What Is Social Change?
• Social change is the alteration of social
interactions, institutions, stratification systems,
and elements of culture over time.
• Microchanges are subtle alterations in the day
to day interaction between people.
• Macrochanges are gradual transformations that
occur on a broad scale and affect many aspects
of society.
Characteristics of Social
Change
1. Social change is uneven.
2. Onset and consequences of social change are often unforeseen.
3. Social change creates conflict.
4. The direction of social change is not random.
Question
• The government should recognize
homosexual marriages under the law with the
same privileges as heterosexual marriages.
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree somewhat
c) Unsure
d) Disagree somewhat
e) Strongly disagree
Social Norms
• Social norms about dress and human activity
are sometimes made evident through historical
contrast.
Theories of Social Change:
General Theories
How Do Societies Change?
Functionalist
Evolutionary
Theory
From simple to complex and to a
differentiated division of labor.
Conflict TheoryFrom class-based to a classless
society.
Cyclical TheoryThey develop in cycles from idealistic
to sensate culture.
Theories of Social Change:
General Theories
Primary Cause of Social Change
Functionalist
Evolutionary TheoryTechnology
Conflict TheoryEconomic conflict between
social classes
Cyclical Theory Necessity for growth
Theories of Social Change:
Global Theories
How do societies change?
Modernization
Theory
Become homogenized due to
technological change.
World Systems
Theory
Unequal relationships result in some
nations becoming more advanced.
Dependency
Theory
Successful nations control the
development of less powerful nations,
which become dependent on them
Theories of Social Change:
Global Theories
Primary Cause of Social Change
Modernization
TheoryTechnology and global development
World Systems
TheoryGrowth of international capitalism
Dependency Theory Economic inequality in the global
economy
Debunking Society’s Myths
• Myth:
• Societies change in linear, directed fashion from primitive to civilized.
• Sociological perspective:
• Social change can occur in several directions at roughly the same time. The terms primitive and civilized are out of favor as concepts, in that they imply a value judgment about the relative sophistication of diverse cultures.
Causes of Social Change
• Revolution
• Collective
Behavior
• Cultural Diffusion
• Technological
Innovation
• Social Movements
• Inequality
• Population
• War
Revolution
• The overthrow of a state or the total transformation of central state institutions.
• Social structural conditions that can lead to revolution:
• A state so repressed that a strong political culture develops out of resistance to state oppression.
• A major economic crisis.
• Development of a new economic system that transforms the world economy.
Cultural Diffusion
• The transmission of cultural elements
from one society or cultural group to
another.
• Cultural diffusion can occur by means of
trade, migration, mass communications
media, and social interaction.
Modernization
• Social and cultural change initiated by industrialization and followed by increased social differentiation and division of labor.
• Characteristics
1. Modernization is typified by the decline of small, traditional communities.
2. With increasing modernization, a society becomes more bureaucratized.
3. There is a decline in the importance of religious institutions.
Ferdinand Tönnies
• German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies,
viewed the process of modernization as a
progressive loss of gemeinschaft
(“community”).
• Characterized by a sense of common
feeling, strong personal ties, and sturdy
primary group memberships, along with
a sense of loyalty.
Ferdinand Tönnies
• The Industrial Revolution destroyed the sense of community and personal ties associated with rural life.
• Society was organized on the basis of self-interest, which caused the condition of gesellschaft (society).
• Characterized by a high division of labor, less prominence of personal ties, lack of a sense of community, and absence of a feeling of belonging.
Orientations of Personality
• Other-directedness
• The individual is guided by the behavior of others (conformity).
• Inner-directedness
• The individual is guided by internal principles and morals
• Tradition-directedness
• Strong conformity to longstanding norms, practices and lifestyles.
Globalization
• The increased interconnectedness and
interdependence of different societies around
the world.
• The trend in the twentieth century was for
societies to develop dependencies on each
other, with interlocking economies and social
customs.
• In Europe, this resulted in the development of a
common currency, the euro.
Modernization Theory
• States that global development is a
worldwide process affecting nearly all
societies touched by technological
change.
• The theory argues that more advanced
technology results in greater
differentiation, thus more modernization.
World Systems Theory
• Argues that all nations are members of a worldwide system of unequal political and economic relationships that benefit the developed and technologically advanced countries at the expense of the less technologically advanced and less developed.
• Less developed nations are thus shortchanged in the world system.
World Systems Theory
• Core nations, (the United States, England, and
Japan) produce goods and services both for
their own consumption and for export.
• The core nations import raw materials and
cheap labor from peripheral nations (Africa,
Latin America, South America, parts of Asia.)
• These nations occupy lower positions in the
global economy, thus showing a stratification
of the global economy.
Dependency Theory
• Core nations benefit from the cheap raw
materials and cheap labor from the noncore
nations and actively prevent upward mobility
within the developing noncore nations.
• The developing nations remain dependent on
the core nations while they experience minimal
social development, limited economic growth,
and increased stratification among their own
populations.
Collective Behavior and Social
Movements
• Collective behavior occurs when the usual
conventions to guide behavior are
suspended and people establish new
behavior in response to an emerging
situation.
• Social Movements are led by groups that
act with some continuity and organization
to promote or resist change in society.
Fraternities
• Here members of a predominantly African American fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi () put on a step show, a highly rhythmic and energetic dance form with roots in slave society as well as in West Africa.
Characteristics of Collective
Behavior
• Collective behavior:
• Always represents the actions of groups of people, not individuals.
• Involves new relationships in groups that arise in unexpected circumstances.
• Emerges to meet the new needs that people in the community face.
• Captures the novel, dynamic, and changing elements of society.
Characteristics of Collective
Behavior
• Collective behavior:
• May mark the beginnings of more organized social behavior and often precedes the establishment of formal social movements.
• Is patterned, it is not irrational
• May cause people to communicate extensively through rumors.
Population Density
• Population density can
affect social interaction
and cultural norms, as
illustrated here in Japan,
where a subway worker
(a “pusher”) causes close
physical contact among
subway riders.
Social Movements
• A social movement is an organized social group
that acts with continuity and coordination to
promote or resist change in society.
• Social movements are the most organized form
of collective behavior, and they tend to be the
most sustained.
• They often have a connection to the past, and
they tend to become organized in coherent
social organizations.
Elements Necessary
for Social Movements
1. Pre-existing communication
network.
2. Pre-existing grievance.
3. Precipitating incident.
4. Ability to mobilize.
Type of Social Movements
• Personal transformation movements -
hippie, new age
• Social change movements -
environmental and animal rights
movements
• Reactionary movements -
Aryan Nation, Right-to-Life
Technology and Culture
• The Kaipo people of Brazil wear colorful formal dress.
• Technology from outside this society (TV, guns) presently threatens the persistence of such cultural practices.
• Recently, the Kaipo have mobilized to oppose outside intervention such as oil drilling.
Question
• The gay and lesbian movement is an example of:
a) social/political change movements.
b) personal transformation movements.
c) psychological change movements.
d) radical/personal transformation movements.
Answer: a
• The gay and lesbian movement is an
example of a social/political change
movement.
Theories of Social Movement
What does the theory emphasize?
Resource
Mobilization
Linkages among groups within
a movement
Political
Process
Vulnerability of political system
to social protest
New Social
Movement
Interconnection between social
structural and cultural
perspectives
Theories of Social Movements
How do social movements start?
Resource
Mobilization
People organize movements
by using money, knowledge,
skills
Political
Process
Movements exploit social
structural opportunities.
New Social
Movement
New forms of identity are
created as people participate in
movements
Debunking Society’s Myths
• Myth:
• Social movements develop usually as a result of extremists who are single-minded in their interests.
• Sociological perspective:
• Social movements often develop from the everyday concerns of ordinary people who mobilize to address conditions in their lives that they find unacceptable.
Social Movements
• Social movements
often use highly
visible tactics to
promote their causes,
as in the March for
Women’s Lives in
Washington DC.
Debunking Society’s Myths
• Myth:
• Rebellious social movements such as the Black Power movement or the gay rights movements are simply people blowing off steam.
• Sociological perspective:
• Social movements are one of several major causes of long-lasting social change, resulting in enduring changes in society.
Disability Rights Movement
• Social movements
such as the disability
rights movement can
raise public
awareness and result
in new forms of social
behavior.
Social Change
• Social change is
reflected not only in
the methods of play
or tennis today, but in
the presence of more
minorities in
professional tennis.
Globalization, Diversity and
Social Movements
• Social movements can be the basis of revolutionary change.
• Some movements originating in one nation affect movements in another.
• Transnational social movements cross national borders.
• Some of the most profound changes in the United States were the result of social movements from our diverse population.
Debunking Society’s Myths
• Myth:
• In the face of disasters and other unexpected events, people do not behave under the normal social influences.
• Sociological perspective:
• When faced with unexpected events, people develop norms to guide their behavior, often drawing on previous social behavior and knowledge to guide new interactions.
Debunking Society’s Myths
• Myth:
• In the face of disasters and other unexpected events, people do not behave under the normal social influences.
• Sociological perspective:
• When faced with unexpected events, people develop norms to guide their behavior, often drawing on previous social behavior and knowledge to guide new interactions.
Collective Behavior
• Collective behavior is
spontaneous, as
when people created
memorials to those
lost on 9/11/01.
Social Movements
• Dramatic tactics are
often used by social
movements to bring
attention to their causes.
• Here, La Tigresa protests
the logging of redwood
forests, calling attention
to the environmental
movement.
Quick Quiz
1. The alteration of social relationships,
institutions, stratification systems, and
elements of culture over time, is referred
to as:
a) social change
b) collective changes
c) social movement
d) social microchanges
Answer: a
• The alteration of social relationships,
institutions, stratification systems, and
elements of culture over time, is referred
to as social change.
2. _______ is the overthrow of a state or
the total transformation of central state
institutions.
a) A riot
b) A revolution
c) A mob
d) An insurgency
Answer: b
• A revolution is the overthrow of a state
or the total transformation of central
state institutions.
3. "Societies become more homogenized as
the result of technological change." This
statement most closely reflects:
a) dependency theory
b) cyclical theory
c) modernization theory
d) functionalism
Answer: c
• Societies become more homogenized as
the result of technological change." This
statement most closely reflects
modernization theory.
4. ________ refers to a state characterized
by strong personal ties and sturdy
primary group memberships.
a) Gemeinschaft
b) Urban folk
c) Tonnies' village
d) Gesellschaft
Answer: a
• Gemeinschaft refers to a state
characterized by strong personal ties and
sturdy primary group memberships.
5. ________ refers to behavior that occurs
when the usual social conventions are
suspended and people collectively
establish new norms of behavior in
response to an emerging situation.
a) mass behavior
b) social movements
c) collective behavior
d) groupthink
Answer: c
• Collective behavior refers to behavior
that occurs when the usual social
conventions are suspended and people
collectively establish new norms of
behavior in response to an emerging
situation.
6. Groups that act with some continuity and
organization to promote or resist change
in society are called:
a) cultural change
b) social movements
c) collective behavior
d) mass behavior
Answer : b
• Groups that act with some continuity and
organization to promote or resist change
in society are called social movements.
7. Three main factors characterize panic-
producing situations. Which of the
following factors is not one of them?
a) lack of immediate support
b) failure of front-to-rear
communication
c) perceived threat
d) possible entrapment
Answer: a
• Three main factors characterize panic-
producing situations. Lack of immediate
support is not one of them.
8. ________ is the process by which social
movements and their leaders secure
people and resources for the movement.
a) Conspicuous consumption
b) Radical grievance
c) Scapegoating
d) Mobilization
Answer: d
• Mobilization is the process by which
social movements and their leaders
secure people and resources for the
movement.
9. The first required element for the
development of a social movement is:
a) the ability to mobilize.
b) a preexisting grievance.
c) a preexisting communication
network.
d) access to funds.
Answer: c
• The first required element for the
development of a social movement is a
preexisting communication network.
