Social Change

Social Change - Introduction

• 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.
• Institutions, patterns of interaction, work, leisure
activities, roles, norms and other aspects of society can
be altered over time as a result of the process of social
change.
 Nature of Social Change
i. Social change is a universal phenomenon:
• Social change occurs in all societies. No society remains
completely static.
• This is true of all societies, primitive as well as civilized.
• Society exists in a universe of dynamic influences.
• The population changes, technologies expand,
material/ equipment changes, ideologies and values
take on new components and institutional structures
and functions undergo reshaping.
• The speed and extent of change may differ from
society to society. Some change rapidly, others change
slowly.
 ii. Social change is community change:

• Social change does not refer to the change in

the life of an individual or the life patterns of
several individuals.
• It is a change which occurs in the life of the
entire community.
• In other words, only that change can be called
social change whose influence can be felt in a
community form.
• Social change is social and not individual.
 iii. Speed of social change is not uniform:

• While social change occurs in all societies, its

speed is not uniform in every society.
• In most societies it occurs so slowly that it is
often not noticed by those who live in them.
• Even in modern societies there seems to be
little or no change in many areas.
• Social change in urban areas is faster than in
rural areas.
 iv. Social change occurs as an essential law:

• Change is the law of nature.

• Social change also is natural.
• It may occur either in the natural course or as a
result of planned efforts.
• By nature we desire change.
• Our needs keep on changing.
• To satisfy our desire for change and our changing
needs social change becomes a necessity.
• The truth is that we are anxiously waiting for a
change.
 v. Definite prediction of social change is not possible:
• It is difficult to make any prediction about the exact forms
of social change.
• There is no inherent law of social change according to
which it would assume definite forms.
• We may say that on account of the social reform
movement, untouchability was abolished from the Indian
society or say that the basis and ideals of marriage will
change due to the marriage laws passed by the
government; or say that industrialization will increase the
speed of urbanisation.
• But we cannot predict the exact forms which social
relationships will assume in future.
• Likewise it cannot be predicted as to what shall be our
attitudes, ideas, norms and values in future.
 Three Basic Sources of Social Change
1. Discovery, 2. Invention, 3. Diffusion

1. Discovery
• A shared human perception of an aspect of
reality which already exists, e.g. discovery of
blood circulation in biology. It is an addition to
the world’s store of verified knowledge.
• However, it becomes a factor in social change
only when it is put to use, not when it is
merely known.
 2. Inventions

• A new combination or a new use of existing

knowledge, e.g. the assembling of the
automobile from an already existing idea.
• The idea of combining them was new.
• Inventions can be material (technology) and
social (alphabet, trade union).
• Each invention may be new in form (i.e. in shape
or action) in function (what it does) or in meaning
(its long range consequences) or in principle (the
theory or law on which it is based).
 3. Diffusion

• Diffusion refers to the spread of cultural traits from one group

to another. It operates both within and between societies.
• It takes place whenever societies come into contact with each
other. Diffusion is a two way process.
• The British gave us their language and made tea an important
ritual for us Indians; but they adopted several terms in English
from us, for example, Pacca, Sahib, alamara, atma, guru,
Jaggernaut, etc.
• Diffusion is also a selective process.
• Majority of the Indians may adopt the English language, but
not their eating habits.
• Diffusion generally involves some modification of the
borrowed elements of culture either in form, function or
meaning.
 Exogenous and Endogenous Origin of Change

• It is very difficult to determine where and how change originates.

• Some sociologists have offered a distinction between endogenous
change (change originating from within) and exogenous change
(change entering from outside). In practice, the origin of change,
can only rarely be assigned wholly to one or the other category.
• It can be argued that wars and conquest (exogenous origin) have
played an active part in bringing about major social changes in
societies across the world.
• Again it could be said that in the modern world, the changes taking
place in the developing countries have been stimulated to a large
extent, by Western technology which was introduced in most cases
following colonial rule.
• But in all societies, including those in which the initial impetus has
come from outside, social change has depended to a great extent
upon the activities of various social groups within the society.
 Acceptance of and Resistance to Social Change

• Innovations (inventions and discovery are

together termed as innovations) are rarely
accepted totally.
• The specific attitudes and values of the society in
question, the manifest usefulness of the
innovations, the compatibility of the innovations
with the existing culture, vested interests, and
the role of change agents are some of the
important factors that affect the degree of
acceptance of and resistance to social change.
 Some Factors that Affect Direction and Rate of Change
i. Geography, Population and Ecology
• These factors are seen to bring about sudden changes or set a limit
on social change.
• Climatic conditions, natural resources, physical location of a
country, and natural disasters can be important sources of change.
• A natural disaster like floods may destroy entire population, force
people to migrate to another place, or make them rebuild their
community all over again.
• Similarly, increase and decrease in the size of human population
through birth, death or migration can pose a serious challenge to
economic, and political institutions.
• Today, many geographic alterations and natural disasters are
induced by the activities of the inhabitants or a region.
• Soil erosion, water and air pollution may become severe enough to
trigger off new norms and laws regarding how to use resources and
dispose waste products.
 ii. Technology
• Technology is recognised as one of the most crucial
factors in social change.
• The modern factory, means of transportation,
medicine, surgery, mass media of communications,
space and computers technology etc. have affected the
attitudes, values and behaviour of people across
societies.
• To take a simple example, automobiles and other
means of modern transportation have spread culture,
by increasing interaction among people who live far
away from each other.
• The technological feats in the area of transport and
communication have altered leisure activities, helped
in maintaining social networks, and stimulated the
formation of new social relationships.
 iii. Values and Beliefs

• Conflict over incompatible values and beliefs can be an

important source of change.
• For instance values regarding racial or caste superiority,
may clash with the values of equality of opportunity
and status.
• New laws have emerged to ensure that people do not
face discrimination on the basis of caste or race.
• Conflicts between groups within a society, have been
and are a major source of innovation and change.
• For instance, the establishment of political democracy
in Western Europe can be said to be largely the
outcome of class struggles.
 iv. The Great Men and Women: The role of individuals in
social change

• It has been pointed out that the contribution by men of

genius and leaders to social change is important.
• The “great men and women” faced a set of
circumstance, and their influence arose in part from
their ability to draw out persuasively the latent
aspirations, anxieties and fears of large numbers of
people. (e.g. Gandhi’s Ahimsa, Nelson Mandela’s fight
against racism, Mother Theresa’s charity)
• They were also charismatic leaders.
• These leaders owed their positions to personal
qualities, and left upon events the mark of their own
convictions
 RELEVANCE OF ANALYSING SOCIAL
CHANGE
• Study of Social change has provided the impetus for critical evaluation of
unlimited and uncontrolled economic growth.
• The effects of technology on the environment has animated powerful
ecology movements, in most of the industrial and industrialising countries.
• There are debates about the nature of a “good society” in relation to the
rapid advance of science and technology and to unrestrained
consumerism.
• According to Bottomore (1987: 290-1), it is not the business of the
sociologist as such to define, a “good” society “or a desirable quality of
life” but it is his/her responsibility indeed to:
i. be aware of those issues relating to human welfare.
ii. Outline as precisely as possible the alternative courses of change and
their implications, and
iii. Indicate what social forces are at work in producing one outcome
rather than another.
 Activity - Homework
• Discuss about the type of changes in material and
non-material culture (such as, values, beliefs,
customs etc.) that has taken place in your family,
community/society with three persons, one of your
Grandfather’s generation, one of your father’s and
one of your own generation.
• List out the type of changes observed by these three
persons and write a note of one page on “Social
Change in My Family”.
• Compare your note with these of other students in
your class.