2.7 Conclusion
The sociological study of social change is multi-faceted, allowing sociologists to study it from many angles. We can apply the tools of sociology: sociological imagination, social constructionism, and the debunking motif. We can examine social change through the lens of the building blocks of sociology, focusing generally on social structures, institutions, or systems. We can analyze change through the lens of the foundations of sociology: culture, social facts and socialization. We can also explore change through sociological perspectives, or by identifying patterns and processes of social change.
Like the social movement and ideals of Buen Vivir, introduced at the beginning of this chapter, often social change reflects radical transformations in how we shape. and interact in society. Buen Vivir is also a good example of just one way that we are realizing how our experiences are integrally linked to environmental changes. Buen Vivir is a response, among humans, to find new ways of relating to each other and the natural world. This realization will undoubtedly shape much of the social change we experience in the future. With that in mind, we’ll continue to explore how society and the environment intersect alongside other themes of social change in the following chapters.
2.7.1 Review of Learning Objectives
This chapter has offered you the opportunity to:
- Describe the social structure of society as it relates to social change
- Apply the tools of social construction and sociological imagination to social change
- Identify theoretical approaches to social change
- Discuss the processes and patterns of social change
- Summarize the implications of intersecting social locations – race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and colonized ancestry – for social change
- Explain how sociology views environmental issues and changes as social topics
2.7.2 Key Terms
agency: the capacity of an individual to actively and independently choose and to affect change.
agents of socialization: the significant individuals, groups, or institutions that influence our sense of self and the behaviors, norms, and values that help us function in society.
Buen Vivir: a new set of ethics that balance quality of life, democracy, giving inherent value to all living things, and collective well-being.
cultural lag: a delay between the initial social change and the resulting social change.
culture:a group or society’s shared practices, values, beliefs, symbols, language, and artifacts.
equilibrium model of social change: the observation that society is always in a natural state of equilibrium, defined as a state of equal balance among opposing forces.
Feminist theory: a theoretical framework that examines gender related inequalities.
gender norms: the collectively held expectations and beliefs about how women, men, girls and boys should behave and interact in specific social settings and during different stages of their lives.
indicator: a specific, observable, and measurable accomplishment or change that shows the progress made toward achieving a specific output or outcome
institution: a large-scale social arrangement that is stable and predictable, created and maintained to serve the needs of society.
intersectionality: the idea that inequalities produced by multiple social characteristics influence the life of individuals and groups, suggesting we view race, ethnicity, class, gender or sexuality not as individual characteristics but as interconnected social situations.
level of analysis: the size or scale of the study population or social phenomenon.
macro-level analysis: the study of large scale social structures
micro-level analysis: the study of small groups and individual interactions.
modernization: a complex set of changes that take place in societies that move from traditional to modern practices as their economies become industrialized.
Postcolonial Theory: a theoretical framework that explores colonial relations and their aftermath. The framework tends to focus on subjugated people.
social inequality: the unequal distribution of valued resources, rewards, and opportunities in a society
social movements: the mobilization of large numbers of people to work together to achieve a social goal or address a social problem.
the social construction of reality:the theory that as members of society, we give meaning and value to behavior, ideas, or objects. This is a process that is ongoing and happens through our everyday social interactions.
social facts: the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and cultural rules that govern social life.
socialization: the lifelong process of an individual or group learning the expected norms and customs of a group or society through social interaction.
social location: the social position an individual holds within their society based upon social class, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, and religion and other characteristics that society deems important.
social stratification: a society’s categorization of its people into rankings based on factors like wealth, income, education, family background, and power.
sociological imagination: an awareness of the relationship between a person’s behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person’s choices and perceptions.
sociological perspective: the view that our social backgrounds influence our attitudes, behavior, and opportunities in life.
structure (or social structure): the complex and stable framework of society that influences all individuals or groups through the relationship between institutions
Structural Functionalism: a macro level theory that proposes society is made up of stable institutions and each institution has a function for the society.
Symbolic interactionism: a micro level theory that emphasizes the importance of meanings and interactions in social life.
system: a group of two or more related parts that interact over time to form a whole that has a purpose, function, or behavior.
systems thinking: an approach to seeing the world, and a set of methods and tools that makes connections and relationships more visible. P17
2.7.3 Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion
“Conclusion” by Aimee Samara Krouskop is licensed under CC BY 4.0