Topic Info (Click Here)
SOCIOLOGY CUET PG
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. MEANING AND DEFINITION OF SOCIAL CHANGE
2. NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL CHANGE
3. SOCIAL CHANGE AND CULTURAL CHANGE
4. CAUSES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
4.1. Internal Causes of Social Change
4.2. The Impact of the Social and Nonsocial Environment
5. SOURCES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
6. RESISTANCE TO SOCIAL CHANGE
6.1. Reasons for the Opposition to Social Change
7. ROLE OF VALUES IN SOCIAL CHANGE
8. ROLE OF GREAT MEN IN SOCIAL CHANGE
9. SOCIAL EVOLUTION
9.1. Meaning of ‘Evolution’
9.2. Meaning of Social Evolution
9.3. The Concept of Social Evolution
9.4. Use of This Concept to Understand Social Change
9.5. Social Evolution Vs Organic Evolution
9.6. Application of the Concept of Social Evolution in Sociological Studies
10. FEATURES OF INDUSTRIALIZATION
10.1. FEATURES OF MODERNIZATION
11. FEATURES OF GLOBALIZATION
12. FEATURES OF SECULARIZATION
Access this Topic with any subscription below:
- Sociology CUET PG
- CUET PG + Sociology
Society, Culture and Social Change
SOCIOLOGY – CUET PG
UNIT – III
- Change is an ever-present phenomenon in the world, constantly affecting everything, including society.
- Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, famously stated that it is impossible to step into the same river twice because both the man and the river have changed, emphasizing the impermanence and inconstancy of everything except change itself.
- Social order is not static but constantly changing, a concept that has been explored by sociologists since Comte, who distinguished between social statics (what is) and social dynamics (how it changes).
- Sociologists aim to understand both the structure of society and the causes of its change, as noted by the Roman poet Lucretius, who said, “Happy is he who can know the causes of things.”
- Social change is a perplexing and constant problem in sociology, as nothing social remains the same or abides.
- Change is the Law of Nature: Nature is constantly in motion, and this principle applies to society as well. Society is a dynamic entity and an ongoing process, not a static phenomenon.
- Social change has occurred throughout all societies, at all times, and will continue to do so, regardless of how traditional or conservative a society may be.
- Human society is inherently changeable. While individuals seek stability and societies may promote the illusion of permanence, society is influenced by many forces that cause inevitable change.
- India today is different from India in the past, and its future is uncertain, demonstrating the unpredictable nature of social change.
- Over a period of a decade or two, significant changes can and do occur in human society, making the sociologist’s task of understanding society more complex, as the social landscape itself changes during their exploration.
- The study of social change involves recognizing that society is in a state of constant flux, affecting both the methodssociologists use and the results they find.
MEANING AND DEFINITION OF SOCIAL CHANGE
- Change refers to any alteration, difference, or modification that occurs over time in a situation or object.
- Social change specifically refers to changes in human interactions and interrelations, as society is a “web of social relationships.”
- Social change involves changes in the system of social relationships, understood in terms of social processes, social interactions, and social organization.
- It includes alterations in the structure and functions of society.
- Definitions of Social Change:
- M.E. Jones: “Social change describes variations or modifications in any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interaction, or social organization.”
- Kingsley Davis: “Social change refers to alterations in social organization, specifically the structure and functions of society.”
- Majumdar, H.T.: “Social change is a new fashion or mode that modifies or replaces the old in the life of a people or in the operation of society.”
- Maclver and Page: “Social change is a process responsive to many types of changes, including those in manmade conditions, attitudes and beliefs, and changes beyond human control, such as biological and physical changes.”
- Maclver (in another context): “Social change is simply a change in human relationships.”
- Social change is a complex phenomenon that remains one of the great unsolved problems in social science.
- The phenomenon of social change is not simple, and it is difficult to understand in its entirety.
- Unsolved problems in social change:
- What is the direction of social change?
- What is the form of social change?
- What is the source of social change?
- What are its causes and consequences?
- What are its conditions and limitations?
- What is the rate of change?
- Are changes due to human engineering or uncontrollable cosmic design?
- Is it necessary to control social change?
- Can man regulate it to suit his conveniences and desires?
- These questions are significant because of their complexity and human significance.