Sociology Concepts and Social Change

Society and Social Interaction

• Society is defined as people interacting in a particular space and sharing a common culture.
• Sociocultural evolution is the process of change stemming from a society gaining new information, particularly technology.
• This advancement allows for greater manipulation of the physical environment, leading to complex societies, not necessarily better ones.
• Technological advancements have occurred incredibly rapidly, even within a single lifetime, exemplified by examples including fast food, mobile phones, artificial hearts, laser surgery, gene editing, virtual reality, fiber optics, and advanced weaponry.

Types of Societies

• Preindustrial societies (Hunting/gathering, Horticultural/pastoral, Agricultural, Feudal) existed before large-scale industrialization.

• Hunting and gathering societies were more egalitarian (equal) around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

• Horticultural and pastoral societies saw the development of surplus and inequality emerging approximately 7,500 years ago.

• Agricultural societies developed empires, with men holding social dominance and religion having a central role in controlling societal systems (3000 BCE)

• Feudal societies were hierarchical, with land ownership concentrated in the hands of nobles (lords and vassals) around the 9th century

• Industrial societies (factories, cities, fast-paced change in transportation/communication) emerged with the introduction of machines. This period saw population growth, increased specialization, and reduced anonymity.

• Postindustrial Societies are those driven by information and digital technology. These societies have fewer industrial jobs, but more clerical workers and are increasingly influenced by globalisation and postmodernism.

Modern Society

• Industrial economy growth led to widespread use of machines, changing production methods and worker demographics.
• Urbanization attracted people to cities, leading to increased social problems, new classes, and evolving political thought.
• Political change challenged traditional ideas about power and society's structure with different thinkers like Hobbes, Locke, Smith, and Tocqueville.
• The loss of community, according to Tonnies (19th century thought), resulted from the industrial revolution. This was seen as impacting the social fabric built on family, tradition, and social interactions.
• The transition involved moving towards a more individualistic, business-like society driven by self-interest.

Theoretical Perspectives on Society

• Key questions explored by theorists (Marx, Weber, Durkheim) include how societies change, how they are structured, and whether they are improving.
• These theorists examined the strengths and weaknesses, and societal impacts of these changes.

Emile Durkheim and Functionalism

• Society has an independent existence; it's present before you exist and continues after you're gone.
• Cultural norms, values, and beliefs form social facts.
• Durkheim described the importance of social facts and their function in maintaining society in order to improve human behaviors.
• Elements of society are intertwined, such as crime. Crime, even though it is viewed negatively, can function to create a collective moral consciousness in society.

Personality: Society in Ourselves

• Internalizing social facts shapes individual personalities.
• Society regulates humans through moral discipline.
• Human nature is insatiable, but society provides restraints.
• Societal regulation affects vulnerability to self-destruction; those with the least regulation may have higher suicide rates.

Modernity and Anomie

• Modern society has fewer restrictions, leading to the concept of anomie or the absence of clear societal morals.
• Pre-industrial societies emphasized tradition and social connection.
• Mechanical solidarity is based on shared morality and adherence to customs, typical of pre-industrial societies.
• Industrial change led to the emergence of organic solidarity. Organic solidarity is based on interdependence between people because of specialization in various professions.

Karl Marx and Conflict Theory

• Marx analyzed the industrial transformation, focusing on the productive power of factories and the global commerce system.
• This created economic inequality; a few owning the riches with most under extreme poverty.
• Marx highlights the contradiction between vast wealth and significant poverty.
• Social conflict is a significant aspect of the conflict between the ruling class (capitalists) and the working class (proletariat).

Society and Production

• Early capitalism transformed a small proportion of the population into capitalists (bourgeoisie), owning productive enterprises aiming for profit.
• The working class (proletariat) provides labor for these enterprises.
• The drive for profit and higher wages are inherently in conflict.
• Marx viewed the relationship between capitalists and workers as inherently conflicting due to the shared pool of resources from which profits and wages derive.

Infrastructure and Superstructure

• Society is comprised of social institutions designed to meet basic human requirements
• The economy is the fundamental part, determining the rest of society
• The mode of production (how we make goods and services) shapes social, political, and spiritual life.
• Superstructure consists of the culture, religion, laws, government of a society.
• These institutions are shaped by forces of production.

Economic Production and Social Relationships

• Economic production involves technology and the relationship between capitalists/workers.
• Institutions extend economic principles to other areas of life, strengthening the capitalist’s power and wealth.
• Private property is viewed as natural, leading to wealth inequality.
• The idea of “false consciousness” suggests a way for this inequality and societal issues to be ignored.

Conflict in History and Capitalism

• History has been characterized by class struggles (Marx, Engels, Manifesto of the Communist party(1848)
• Marx and Engels saw class conflict as central to societal dynamics. Modern society is built on the conflict between the haves and have nots, but often hidden as “God’s will” or societal norms.
• Capitalism's destructive aspects lead to alienation, class conflict, and power imbalances.

The Power of Technology

• Technology gave individuals a social, economic, and political power in various social processes and social structures.
• Meta-fetishism is a barrier to social change.
• Political organizing, class consciousness, and possible revolution are ways to counter this.
• A revolution may result in a more egalitarian, humane productive system and the possibility of socialism.

Max Weber and Symbolic Interactionism

• Weber focused on rationalization and the loss of meaning.
• Traditional societies value sentiments and beliefs transmitted through generations.
• In contrast, industrial capitalist societies prioritize rational calculations of the most effective ways to meet goals.
• Industrial capitalism, rationality, and bureaucracy caused societal disillusion.

Rationalisation of Time

• The use of clocks and timetables facilitated efficiency and organisation in modern life.
• The rationalization of time reflects a broader societal trend towards efficiency and predictability.

Rationality, Calvinism, and Industrial Capitalism

• Weber compared industrial capitalism to Calvinist beliefs and noted their similarities.
• In Calvinism, individuals are predestined for either heaven or hell.
• The pursuit of wealth and worldly success is considered a sign of God's favor, emphasizing discipline and frugality.

Rationality and Bureaucracy

• Modern organizations are characterized by rationality and bureaucracy, aiming to achieve goals efficiently.
• Bureaucracy is not just about effectiveness but may also stifle the human spirit.

Modern ("Rational") Slavery

• While industrial capitalism improved efficiency, it also created forms of modern oppression including sweatshop conditions and working environments.

Thinking Marx and Weber Together

• The relationship between an elite (those considered “called”) and the working class (often unseen as part of the “elected”) was analyzed, highlighting how ideas around religion or selection reinforce broader inequalities.

The Methodists' Religiosity

• The religious aspects of Methodism were discussed with its potential benefits for societal structuring and managing social changes.

Community

• Methodist churches provided a sense of community for the uprooted and abandoned of the industrial revolution.

Factories and Churches

• Churches and factories were compared to demonstrate the changing societal structure during the Industrial Revolution.

The Social Construction of Reality

• Individuals shape reality through interactions.
• Interactions involving repetition cultivate patterns.
• Realities change based on how they are experienced. It's not fixed.
• Conventions and norms are institutionalized into society.

Roles and Status

• Roles are patterns of behavior recognised as representing a person's social status.
• Status involves the responsibilities and advantages of a person's social standing.

Constructing Situations: Erving Goffman

• Interaction happens between actors in a social space with defined roles.
• People perform roles in a specific social theatre.
• Impression management is a key aspect of these performances.

Role Performances

• Roles are performed through body language.
• People shape self-perceptions based on how others perceive them.
• Social interaction is critical in shaping how we see ourselves.

Explore the intricate relationship between sociocultural evolution and technological advancement in society through various critical concepts. This quiz addresses the transitions from horticultural to agricultural societies, the Industrial Revolution's effects, and the impact of globalization on modern social structures and conflicts. Understand key terms and distinctions that shape our contemporary social landscape.