© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Chapter 24 Social Change: Traditional, Modern and Postmodern Societies © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. What is Social Change? The transformation of culture and social institutions over time. The process: Is inevitable, but some societies or elements change faster than others. Is sometimes intentional, but often unplanned. Is controversial. Some changes matter more than others. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Causes of Social Change Invention Production of new objects, ideas, and social patterns Discovery Taking note of certain elements of a culture Diffusion The spread of products, people, and information from one culture to another (Cont’d) © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Causes of Social Change (Cont’d) Conflict and social change: Tensions and stressors between individuals and groups as they gain or lose power can bring about change, e.g., capitalists and workers Ideas and change: Ideas can fuel social movements which bring about social change, e.g., human rights (Cont’d) © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Causes of Social Change (Cont’d) Natural environment is under great stress because of our development. The current patterns of pollution are not sustainable. Demographic change: Increases and decreases in numbers can lead to social change as society may need to expand and/or contract housing, education, and health. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Modernity Modernization: The process of social change initiated by industrialization. The key dimensions are: Decline of small, traditional communities: Cars, TV, and high-tech communications puts small towns in touch with the world Expansion of personal choice: An unending series of options referred to as “individualization” Increasing social diversity: Modernization promotes a more rational, scientific world-view Future orientation and growing awareness of time © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Ferdinand Tönnies: The Loss of Community With modernization comes the loss of Gemeinschaft, or human community Modernity brings about a condition referred to as Gesellschaft, or impersonal relationships Critical evaluation: Gemeinschaft exists in modern society What is a cause and what is an effect? Romanticized traditional societies © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Emile Durkheim: The Division of Labour Specialized economic activity moves from Mechanical solidarity refers to a time when society was held together by social bonds anchored in common moral sentiments Organic solidarity refers to modernity during which time social bonding is accomplished by way of mutual dependence Critical evaluation: Society’s norms and values are strong enough to avoid anomie for most people, and people value the personal freedom of modern society despite the risks. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Max Weber: Rationalization Modernization means replacing a traditional worldview with a rational way of thinking Modern people value efficiency, have little reverence for the past and adopt whatever social patterns allow them to achieve their goals Modern society is “disenchanted”: science replaces gods. Critical evaluation: Rationalization could erode the human spirit, but the alienation he attributes to bureaucracy could stem from social inequality © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Karl Marx: Capitalism Industrial revolution was a capitalist revolution Modernity weakened small-scale communities Social conflict in capitalism sows seeds of egalitarian socialist revolution Critical evaluation: Complex theory underestimates dominance of bureaucracy, and stifling socialist bureaucracies were as bad or worse than dehumanizing capitalism. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Table 24-2 © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Table 24-2 (cont’d) © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Structural-Functional Analysis Theory of mass society, where industry and bureaucracy have eroded traditional social ties Modern life is on a mass scale leading to the de-humanizing of everyone. Ever-expanding states doom traditional values and social patterns. Critical evaluation: theory romanticizes the past and ignores plight of women and minorities © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Social-Conflict Analysis Theory of class society, a capitalist society with pronounced social stratification Capitalism promotes self-centredness Persistent inequality and the state cannot combat problems because it is controlled by capitalists Critical evaluation: theory overlooks the increasing prosperity of modern societies; human rights have improved; and most Canadians favour unequal rewards for talent and effort. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Modernity and the Individual Mass society can make finding an identity difficult People can shuttle from one identity to another According to David Reisman modernization brings changes in social character, personality patterns common to members of a society, from Tradition-directedness: rigid conformity to time-honoured ways of living to Other-directedness: receptiveness to the latest trends and fashions, often expressed by imitating others © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Class Society: Problems of Powerlessness Persistent inequality undermines modern society`s promise of individual freedom. Some are well off and many experience economic uncertainty and powerlessness. Herbert Marcuse disagrees that modern society is rational, and states that science causes problems not solves them. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Modernity and Progress Progress: a state of continual improvement Traditional cultures are seen as backward, but Is our society too fast and stressful? Does technology threaten privacy? Global variation: In other parts of the world, such as the People’s Republic of China and Latin America, combinations of traditional and modern are not unusual. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Postmodernity Patterns of post-industrial societies In important ways, modernity has failed: Much poverty and and lack of financial security The bright light of “progress” is fading: Less confidence about future Science no longer holds the answers: Science has created its share of problems. (Cont’d) © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

Postmodernity (Cont’d) Cultural debates are intensifying: The promises of social movements have not been fulfilled. Social institutions are changing: post-industrial society is remaking society again Critical evaluation: Great increases in life expectancy and standard of living have occurred. What are the alternatives? © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.

© 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc. Looking Ahead Solutions to problems elude us Finding meaning Resolving conflicts among nations Eradicating poverty Controlling population Treating AIDS Establishing a sustainable economy 9/11 has drawn us into the U.S. sphere of influence. We cannot isolate ourselves. © 2005 Pearson Education Canada Inc.