Sociology Theories on Social Change Assignment

**[Social Theories]** #### Each group will get one theory! You are responsible for becoming an expert in this theory and will teach it to another group. You must read the information and fill out the "playing card" sheet about your theory. #### **[Functionalism]** Functionalism theory was created...

**[Social Theories]** #### Each group will get one theory! You are responsible for becoming an expert in this theory and will teach it to another group. You must read the information and fill out the "playing card" sheet about your theory. #### **[Functionalism]** Functionalism theory was created by the sociologist Émile Durkheim. It was born of his fascination with how societies could remain stable, coherent, and maintain social order in the modern era. It looks at how people can and do respect and obey laws, and how rules are enforced in order for society to function normally. Functionalism examines the different individual pieces of society and analyzes how those pieces function together as a whole. Each part of society needs to function in order for the whole to work properly. ##### ##### **Education** For example, education is one aspect of society provided by the government to educate children, so they may grow up and become law-abiding, tax-paying members of society, who, in turn, support the state. If education functions properly, society will maintain order and coherence, but if it doesn't, society will modify or adapt to that malfunction in order for social order to be maintained. ##### **How does social change occur according to functionalism?** This theory also argues that shared values create a sense of social stability and order in society, and that most people will share the same basic belief systems. It also states that behaviour that is different from the social norms is deviant behaviour. When groups of people act deviantly, this can lead to social change. If no one challenged basic social norms, social change would never happen. For social order to be maintained, society has to adapt to new conditions and transgressions, and that includes deviant behaviours. Therefore, what is initially considered deviant at a certain time can sometimes give indications about what will be better tolerated in the future. In functionalism, social change occurs if one piece of society doesn't work properly. You can think of society as a jigsaw puzzle: all the pieces need to fit together in order for the puzzle to be complete. A piece that doesn't fit will need to be modified or adapted through social change to fit back into the puzzle so that order can be restored. The goal is always to maintain social order and keep the peace. **[Social Theories]** ### Each group will get one theory! You are responsible for becoming an expert in this theory and will teach it to another group. You must read the information and fill out the "playing card" sheet about your theory. ### **Conflict theory** *I laugh at the so-called "practical" men with their wisdom. If one chose to be an ox, one could of course turn one's back on the sufferings of mankind and look after one's own skin.* -- Karl Marx Karl Marx's conflict theory focuses on the role of power and coercion in the maintenance of an orderly society. Marx believed that society was fragmented into different social groups, and functioned as a result of the competition between these groups over social and economic resources. This theory stresses that social change takes place in response to that competition over scarce resources. ### **Functionalism vs. conflict theory** Unlike functionalism, which states that social change is an evolutionary, gradual process, conflict theory focuses on social change as a concept. In conflict theory, social inequality creates social change. Conflict arises between a small wealthy proportion of society that controls the majority of the resources and wishes to maintain their privilege, and the less privileged who will want to increase their access to those resources. Conflict occurs when these different competing power groups want control over the same resources. For example, in the 1960s there were major protests and civil rights movements that led to positive changes in the treatment of African Americans. Social change arose because some political activists challenged the ruling class's (white Americans) control of power and resources. It was sudden and abrupt. #### #### **How does social change occur according to conflict theory?** In conflict theory, social change occurs because drastic, revolutionary change is needed to establish the balance of political control over scarce resources like wealth and power. **[Social Theories]** #### Each group will get one theory! You are responsible for becoming an expert in this theory and will teach it to another group. You must read the information and fill out the "playing card" sheet about your theory. ### ### **Interpretive theory (symbolic interactionism)** For functionalists and conflict theorists, society is a structure, an entity. For interpretivists, it is an ongoing process; and social change is in constant flux. Interpretive theory emphasizes the role of culture as the most important factor to explore in order to understand society and social change. Social change can be understood by analyzing how people understand and interpret social events and symbols through culture. It addresses notions of shared meaning and understanding. It is that is at the centre of society, and that defines and divides the different groups that people choose to belong to. This theory, the roots of which can be found in ancient philosophy or theology, asserts that although culture is shared, humans have different systems of beliefs and meaning that they assign value to. There are different cultures within a society, and thus one culture may assign more or less value to a symbol than another culture might. As people and groups interact with each other, in society unique to particular groups. In interpretive theory, it is also necessary to understand that different events of social change will be interpreted differently according to the cultural group looking at the specific event. When an external factor changes, different groups will react in different ways and create different meanings and interpretations of the same event. Social change occurs when people and groups redefine the values and meanings they assign to events and/or symbols. ### ### **Interpretive theory (symbolic interactionism)** #### **Heroes or Villains?** Monuments are making headlines around the world: from South Africa to the United States to Canada. As countries look at their pasts through new lenses they challenge traditional narratives. However, our values and beliefs shape the way we interpret these historical symbols. Do we view John A Macdonald as a founding father and first Prime Minister who brought Upper and Lower Canada together? Or do we view him as the architect behind the residential school system? The debate about commemorating such key historical figures in Canadian history brings about distinct opinions that our shaped by our own cultures and beliefs. Tearing down statues to foster reconciliation is an example of 'presentism' argue some while others see it is a necessary step toward understanding and dealing with our complex history. Your viewpoint is shaped by your beliefs and values. ##### ##### **How does social change occur according to interpretive theory?** In interpretive theory, social change will arise because people have different cultures and therefore different systems of beliefs and values. This will inevitably lead people to protest against anything that may go against or threaten their cultural value systems. In the same vein, let's consider that, depending on who is interpreting events, what is considered social change can vary according to the cultural group's opinions of what is changing. ### ### ### ### ### **Social Theories** ### Each group will get one theory! You are responsible for becoming an expert in this theory and will teach it to another group. You must read the information and fill out the "playing card" sheet about your theory. ### ### **Feminism** Feminist theory focuses on the role and value of women in society. Feminism is the collective agreement among followers that women deserve a place of equality with men in all matters political, economic, social, and cultural. It seeks to understand gender inequality and looks at the experiences of women in order to do so. It also aims to understand sex and gender roles in society. Feminism originated in the western world, mainly the United States, Canada, Britain, and some of Western Europe, and major differences exist for women worldwide even today. Especially in the workplace; it fights for the reproductive rights of women and the equal balance of power within the home. It rejects traditional roles of men and women both in the workplace and the home. Within feminism, different schools of thought exist that are very different from each other. At times, feminism has been accused of being a white middle class women's philosophy, neglecting women from other cultures or backgrounds. In response to this criticism, different strands of feminism have been developed. Some streams of feminism seek equality, without desiring to create major conflict in society. Radical feminism, however, calls for the end of discrimination against women, and if it turns out to be necessary to achieve that goal, for the uprooting of the structures of society. Queer theory, another theory of social change that is built on feminism, takes the idea of sex and gender, but relates it to sexual behaviour in terms of normal and deviant sex acts in the hetero- and homosexual communities. #### #### **Feminism in Canada** In Canada, women started protesting and fighting for equal rights with men in the 1920s. Prior to 1929, women were not considered "persons" under the law. Women, led by leaders like Nellie McClung and Agnes Macphail, challenged existing stereotypes and protested for the right to be active and recognized members of society, and to break through politically into a male-dominated world. Social change occurred in Canada because women fought for the acquisition of the same political rights as men, and won the right to vote and participate in politics. ##### ##### **How does social change occur according to feminism?** According to feminist theory, social change must occur because women have not been granted the same rights and status in society as men. Change must occur to end the discrimination and oppression faced by women worldwide in order for society to function at full capacity. **[Social Theories]** #### Each group will get one theory! You are responsible for becoming an expert in this theory and will teach it to another group. You must read the information and fill out the "playing card" sheet about your theory. ### ### **Cultural materialism** The theory of cultural materialism was founded by the cultural anthropologist Marvin Harris. He had two main ideas about society. First, he believed that society was made up of many different parts (this idea also exists in functionalism). Secondly, he believed that those parts could not be looked at or studied separately because, in the case of social change, when one piece of society changed, the other parts of society had to change as well. Cultural materialism analyzes cultural and societal patterns within a materialistic framework. It seeks to explain how the practical circumstances of human life have a critical impact on the nature and functioning of a society. It looks at the relation between human resources and the environment. In other words, it looks at the limitations imposed on humans by environmental constraints. Certain social groups will be limited in their use of resources by uncontrolled environmental factors. Some factors may be modified to a certain extent, but environmental controls still exist. Certain societies have more access to technology, which can improve their infrastructure. Therefore, it will make them more successful than others in overcoming environmental factors. #### #### **How does social change occur according to cultural materialism?** The Industrial Revolution in England in the 1700s was a time of rapid growth in innovation and technology. This was a time in history when rapid social change occurred, as thousands of people moved from farms in the country to the city where work was available in factories. In the view of cultural materialism, this process was sped up and widely accepted because increasing the practical conditions relating to subsistence and the modes of production -- the infrastructure -- of a society leads to an increase of profits and the evolution of society. In cultural materialism, in some cases, if a negative change or innovation occurs in one area of society, unfavourable to a society's capacity to maintain or increase its productivity levels, it is usually met with some kind of resistance. At all times, society should remain stable in order to satisfy its productive needs. In the case where positive social change or innovation is thought to be occurring, it will be widely accepted and supported so that society can gain more control over environmental factors. In cultural materialism, social change is dictated by the fluctuations in the environmental constraints that every society must live with. 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