Political Science

3GE Collection on Political Science: Social Change

3GE Collection on Political Science: Social Change

  • ISBN
  • Price
  • Publication Year
  • Publisher
  • Binding
  • Description
  • About the Editor
    • This book describes the social challenges that exist in current globalization politics, and examines the communicative processes, strategies and tactics through which social change interventions are constituted in response.
    • The book focuses on how social policies can be transformed to promote social justice for all groups.
    • This text is designed to introduce undergraduates and graduates to the study of social theory, social change and World development.

A society is characterized by the common attitudes and behavior of its members. Such behavior reflects purposive decision making by individuals, given the environment they live in. Thus, as technology changes, so are social norms. Change is a very broad concept. Though change is all around us, we do not refer to all of it as social change. Thus, physical growth of a person from year to year or change of seasons does not fall under the concept of social change. Here we look at social change that occurs in the social structure and social relationships.


This book deals with the concept of social change and the important factors of social change. Changes in society are related to changes in culture. For instance, growth of modern technology as part of the culture has been closely associated with alterations in the economic structures on important part of the society. Social change can vary in its scope and in speed. We can talk of small scale or large scale changes. As change varies in scope, it influences many aspects of a society and disrupt the whole social system. The process of industrialization affected many aspects of society. Some changes occur rapidly but developing nations are trying to do it more quickly. They do this by borrowing or adapting from those nations which have already achieved it. Today, anthropologists assume that change is natural, inevitable, and ever present in every part of life for every society. When we are looking at social change, we are focusing not in changes in the experiences of an individual, but on variations in social structures, institutions and social relationships. In practice, the ways in which social scientists have defined social change have closely reflected the methods they have used to study such change and the topics that have attracted their attention. Much sociological and political work has been very broad-brush, employing large-scale surveys. Such work has attempted to capture large historical phases (such as industrialization) and, more recently, post industrialization. But as societies grew in diversity and complexity, a wide range of occupations emerged requiring specific skills, such as medicine, public health, engineering, management, law, forensic science, physical, biological, agricultural and social sciences, which are taught in modern educational institution. Education, thus, ensures the allocation of positions in society suitable to the skills of the individuals. It provides an opportunity for individuals to realize their potential and frees them from being tied down to the occupation of their forefathers. Through education, a person can achieve his own status in the society. This text is designed to serve the students and other readers who want to study the social theory, social change and World development.