Social ChangeSocial Change

Social change:Social change:

What is social change?What is social change? What causes it?What causes it? Social movementsSocial movements GlobalizationGlobalization

What is social What is social change?change?

Transformations over Transformations over time of the institutions time of the institutions and culture of society and culture of society

What causes social What causes social change?change?

Does Giddens have a theory?Does Giddens have a theory? A theory is a systematic explanation A theory is a systematic explanation

of cause and effectof cause and effect No real theory presentedNo real theory presented ““Influences” (pp. 618-622)Influences” (pp. 618-622)

Physical environment (economy)Physical environment (economy) Political organizationPolitical organization CultureCulture

Says we need general theories, but Says we need general theories, but abandons them (except abandons them (except globalization as a trend)globalization as a trend)

What causes social What causes social change: theories Giddens change: theories Giddens neglectsneglects

Parsons (functionalism): Parsons (functionalism): evolutionary—differentiation of evolutionary—differentiation of institutionsinstitutions

Symbolic interactionists: social Symbolic interactionists: social construction, new “scripts”construction, new “scripts”

Marx: historical materialismMarx: historical materialism

DialecticsDialectics

thesis

antithesis

New thesis

New antithesis

Struggle of opposites

New struggle of opposites

resolution

Dialectical materialismDialectical materialism

(material) social forces of production (material) social forces of production as base (basis) of social lifeas base (basis) of social life

Ideas, institutions “erected” in Ideas, institutions “erected” in support of relations of productionsupport of relations of production

Class struggle in relations of Class struggle in relations of production becomes politicalproduction becomes political

Struggle (revolution) leads to new Struggle (revolution) leads to new stage of history: historical stage of history: historical materialismmaterialism

Historical Materialism

Superstructure

Ideas, ideology, institutions

Social reproduction

Social forces of production

Relations of production

Means of production

Class struggle Revolution

New superstructure

New forces of production

Postindustrial societyPostindustrial society akaaka information society, service society, information society, service society,

knowledge society because these sectors knowledge society because these sectors dominate the economydominate the economy Codified knowledge/information key resourceCodified knowledge/information key resource ““Knowledge workers” become leading social Knowledge workers” become leading social

groupgroup But:But:

Service work includes a lot of manual laborService work includes a lot of manual labor Close integration of service and manufactureClose integration of service and manufacture Giddens: this approach overemphasizes Giddens: this approach overemphasizes

economic factorseconomic factors

PostmodernityPostmodernity

ModernityModernity Refers to the industrial periodRefers to the industrial period Based on notion of “progress” – i.e., history has a Based on notion of “progress” – i.e., history has a

direction, things get betterdirection, things get better Postmodernity means that idea has collapsedPostmodernity means that idea has collapsed

Social reality is now pluralistic and diverseSocial reality is now pluralistic and diverse Everything is in fluxEverything is in flux Shafer and Divney: Postmodernists Shafer and Divney: Postmodernists

overemphasize cultural factors, wrong about “end overemphasize cultural factors, wrong about “end of history”of history”

Globalization: “influences”Globalization: “influences”

TelecommunicationsTelecommunications Fall of U.S.S.R, “capitalist road” in Fall of U.S.S.R, “capitalist road” in

China brought virtually entire China brought virtually entire planet into market systemplanet into market system

Transnational corporations Transnational corporations dominate: biggest 500 TNC’s dominate: biggest 500 TNC’s bigger than most countries’ bigger than most countries’ economieseconomies

Table 20.3Table 20.3

Globalization debateGlobalization debate

Skeptics:Skeptics: Globalization is not newGlobalization is not new Regionalization more significantRegionalization more significant National governments still play National governments still play

important roleimportant role Shafer: current events lend credence Shafer: current events lend credence

to the skeptics’ pointsto the skeptics’ points

Globalization debateGlobalization debate

Transformationalists:Transformationalists: Globalization is changing societies, but Globalization is changing societies, but

governments hold onto some powergovernments hold onto some power Globalization is “multidirectional”Globalization is “multidirectional” New, “nonterritorial” social New, “nonterritorial” social

organizations:organizations: TNC’sTNC’s NGO’sNGO’s Social movementsSocial movements

Globalization debateGlobalization debate

Hyperglobalizers:Hyperglobalizers: New global order being bornNew global order being born Market forces more powerful than Market forces more powerful than

national governments (Ohmae)national governments (Ohmae) National governments in declineNational governments in decline International organizations grow in International organizations grow in

power:power: European UnionEuropean Union World Trade OrganizationWorld Trade Organization

Fig. 20.3Fig. 20.3

Campaign for global Campaign for global justicejustice

Grassroots social movement Grassroots social movement concerned about global inequalityconcerned about global inequality

Battle of Seattle, 1999Battle of Seattle, 1999 Continues today (Miami anti-FTAA Continues today (Miami anti-FTAA

protest)protest) Has its own media using WWW:Has its own media using WWW:

http://indymedia.orghttp://indymedia.org

Epilogue: social Epilogue: social movementsmovements

Conscious, organized actions to Conscious, organized actions to influence social changeinfluence social change

Piven and Cloward: most effective when Piven and Cloward: most effective when mass-based, non-bureaucraticmass-based, non-bureaucratic

Maoism and the Great Proletarian Maoism and the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution:Cultural Revolution: Revolution within a revolutionRevolution within a revolution Among many other things, tried to invent Among many other things, tried to invent

new relations of production (non-wage labor)new relations of production (non-wage labor)