social change -transformation of culture & social institutions four major characteristics of...
TRANSCRIPT
Social Change-Transformation of culture & social
institutions
Four major characteristics of change1. Inevitable, only rate varies2. Sometimes intentional, often unplanned3. Controversial4. Some change matters more than others
Why Cultural Change Takes Place
– Invention• Production of new objects,
ideas, and social patterns
– Discovery• Taking note of existing
elements of culture
– Diffusion• Spread of products, people,
information from culture to culture
Other Reasons• Conflict and social change
– Tensions between individuals and groups Different groups gain/lose power/privilege as they struggle for own positions
• Ideas and change– Ideas can fuel social movements Idea of equal rights for everyone
• Demographics and change– Increases and decreases in
numbers lead to change as society may need to expand and/or contract
Need for jobs, housing, education
•Most of today’s movements are international•Focus on cultural change•Improving social/physical surroundings•Draw support from middle/upper classes
•Term "social movements" introduced 1850 by German Sociologist Lorenz von Stein in "History of the French Social Movement from
1789 to the Present “(1850)
Stages of Social Movements• Stage one: emergence
– Perception that something is wrong
• Stage two: coalescence– Defining itself and “going public”
• Stage three: bureaucratization– Organizing rationally to get job done
• Stage four: decline– Is movement in need of regrouping or is it simply
time for demise?• Reasons:
– Success has been reached– Organizational problems (leadership)– Leadership sells out to other interests– State-sponsored repression
Types of Social MovementsSocial Movements – organized activity that
encourages or discourages social change
• Alternative– Least threatening, limited change for limited number of
members– Planned Parenthood Organization
• Redemptive– Selective focus, radical change– Churches, religions
• Reformative– Limited social change targeting all
members of society– Equal Rights Movement
• Revolutionary– Most severe, striving for basic
transformation of society– American Socialist Party
Four Types of Social Movements
Theories of Social Movements
• Deprivation Theory– Social movements arise among people
who feel deprived– relative deprivation –
perceived disadvantage arising from some specific comparison
• Mass-Society Theory William Kornhauser’s
– Social movements attract socially isolated people who feel personally insignificant
– Movements are personal as well as political, giving people with weak social ties sense of purpose and belonging
• Structural-Strain Theory Neil Smelser’s Six factors encouraging social movement
1. Structural conducivenessArise out of perceptions of problems
2. Structural strainExperiencing relative deprivation
3. Growth and spread of an explanationMaking clear reasons and solutions for suffering
4. Precipitating factorsSpecific events give rise to collection action
5. Mobilization for actionAction stage; Protest and rallies
6. Lack of social controlQuick, harsh response, or giving “green light” for change
• Resource-Mobilization Theory– Social movement won’t succeed
without substantial resources•Money•Human labor•Offices/communication facilities•Mass media
Gender and Social Movements
• Gender figures in operation
• More men than women take part in public life, including heading social movements
• “Freedom Summer” in 1964 (Negro voter registration in MS)
