Social Change and Modernization Narrative Essay – Flashcards
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Social Change
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the transformation of culture and social institutions over time
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Cyclical Theory of Social Change
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views societal change from a historical perspective - Societies are seen as rising and then falling or as continuously moving back and forth between stages of development
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Ideational Culture
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a culture in which truth and knowledge are sought through faith or religion
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Sensate Culture
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type of culture in which people seek knowledge through science
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Oswald Spengler
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German philosopher who argued that cultures grow and decay in cycles (1880-1936)
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Idealistic Culture
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a culture which contains both ideational characteristics and sensate characteristics
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Principle of Immanent Change
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Sorokin's belief that societies have a natural tendency toward social change.
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Evolutionary Theory of Social Change
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views change as a process that movies in one direction - towards increasing complexity
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Equilibrium Theory of Social Change
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Talcott Parson's view of social change in which society is likened to a living organism. Change in one part of the social system produces change in all other parts, as the system attempts to regain balance, or equilibrium.
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Conflict Theory of Social Change
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change comes through the mobilization of people struggling for resources
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Ralf Dahrendorf
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proposed conflict theory
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Talcott Parsons
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a Harvard University sociologist that was a key figure in the development of the functionalist theory/perspective. He saw any society as a vast network of connected parts, each of which helps to maintain the system as a whole.
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Pitrim Sorokin
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believed that all societies fluctuate between two extreme forms of culture, ideational and sensate
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Modernization
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The process of reforming political, military, economic, social, and cultural traditions in imitation of the early success of Western societies, often with regard for accommodating local traditions in non-Western societies.
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Modernization Theory
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a model of economic and social development that explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences between nations
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World System Theory
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economic and political connections that tie the world's countries together
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Core Nations
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Nations, usually European, that enjoyed profit from world economy; controlled international banking and commercial services such as shipping; exported manufactured goods for raw materials.
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Peripheral Nations
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according to world systems theory, nations that are dependent on core nations for capital, have little or no industrialization (other than what may be brought in by core nations), and have uneven patterns of urbanization
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Semiperipheral Nations
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according to world systems theory, nations that are more developed than peripheral nations but less developed than core nations
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External Debt
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The portion of the public debt owed to foreign citizens, firms, and institutions
