The aim of this subject is to familiarize students with the basic issues linked to the topic of social change. Social change may relate to demographic processes, social structures, cultural patterns, societies and their subsystems, organizations, institutions or groups. They may have different scopes (total - partial), severity and depth (deep - surface level), durations (long - short term) and speed (fast - slow). The problem of social change is explained through theories aimed at describing change in a theoretical way as well as explaining it. The theoretical descriptions on which the class is based primarily focus upon the nature of the expression and direction of change (replacing what with what; what increases or decreases? Is it linear, cyclic or jumping?). Explanations focus primarily on issues such as: what are the sources of dynamism and innovation? What are the agents of change and what factors influence its course?

The lecture focuses on theories of social change. It starts with pre-sociological philosophical theories. Then it explains classical evolutionism, neo-evolutionism, theories of modernization, theories of revolution and cyclical theories of social change.

The recordings are in Microsoft Teams

Link:

 

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/channel/19%3a528f8103111a4d10a881dff5f66afe0f%40thread.tacv2/Obecn%25C3%25A9?groupId=20fff635-0301-476a-9046-cf75af53e115&tenantId=e09276da-f934-4086-bf08-8816a20414a2

 

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3a528f8103111a4d10a881dff5f66afe0f%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=20fff635-0301-476a-9046-cf75af53e115&tenantId=e09276da-f934-4086-bf08-8816a20414a2

 

code of the team

 

s9hvw8s

 

IMPORTANT  To Microsoft Teams  you should log as university student. That means UKČO@cuni.cz. UKČO is the number below the photo on your university card. Do not use your private microsoft account, It will not work.

Students acquire attestations (rating) on the basis of written test and oral examnination.

 

Questions to Exam:

The Theory of Social Change and Modernization Processes

 

1. Fundamentals concepts of social change in the conception of the philosophy of history

mythical versus the historical understanding of time (Eliade, Bultmann) - the concept of time in ancient Israel versus in ancient Greece - ancient historiography (Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, Livy) - Colingwood's features for Christian historiography (universal, providencial , apocalyptic, periodization) - milenarismus and chiliasm, Joachim di Fiore - differences between the medieval, renaissance and modern (Cartesian) historiography - progress in theory Bossuet, Condorcet, Turgot

 

 

2. Classical evolutionism and its approach to the issue of social change

the General Features: organicistic metaphor, metaphor embryos differences classical evolutionism and Darwinism - Auguste Comte in his conception and evolution of human knowledge, Law of three stages, social statics versus social dynamics - Morgan Lewis in three stages of development of human history: barbarism, savagery and civilization  

 

 

3. Neoevolucionismus in the 20th century anthropology

differences in comparison with classical evolutionism

- unilinear versus multilinear evolution - general versus specific evolution - Leslie White - role of energy - Julien Steward - Marshall Sahlins

 

 

4. Neoevolucionism in sociology after World War II

differences in comparison with classical evolutionism - Gerhard Lenski and his typology and developmental stages by: hunters and gatherers, gardening, agricultural and industrial companies - Talcott Parsons, types of companies, evolutionary universals, role in the evolution of cultural innovation, integration processes and differenciace, adaptive upgrading  

 

 

5. The reactions to neoevolucionismus in sociology from the late 20th century

the theory of structural differentiation - Smelser, - criticism of the theory of differentiation and division of labor: Ruescheymer: the relationship of power and division of labor, dedifferentiation processes

- the shift in the biologic neoevolucionism in sociology: variation, selection, stabilization - the role of system theory, sources of variability within the process variaions, selection of three types: of power, structural and material

- Eisenstadt's coalescing in theory, partly coalescing and nekoalescent changes

6. Theory of modernization

relationship of modernization theory and classical evolutionism - classical theories of modernization in the 50s, the definition of modernization: historical, relativistic, analytical - westernocentrismus in classical modernization theory, the context of the Cold War, - the convergence theory - neomodernistic and neokonvergence theory - transitology - multiple (multiple) modernity - Huntington's critique of modernization theories: the concept of political order

 

7. Cyclical theory of social change

Giambatisto Vico - Ibn Khaldun - Pareto - Sorokin - Danilevskij - Spengler - Toynbee

 

8. Concepts of social change in historical materialism

Karl Marx and his historical materialism - the Socio-economic formation - dependency theory (Cardoso) - the World-systems theory - Marvin Harris and his theory of cultural materialism  

 

9. Theory of Revolution

the etymology of the term revolution - classics: Marx and Tocqueville - Theda Skocpol's structural conception of revolution - Jean Baechler and his analysis of the revolutionary phenomenon: the classification of marginal groups and antisocieties

- the difference between political and social revolution - the difference between revolution and coup - Jaroslav Krejci: vertical versus horizontal revolution - Shmuel Eisenstadt: revolution and the theory of coalescing changes

 

During covid pandemics, lectures will be held via Microsoft Teams on line Platform

 

* Structure of lessons:

1. Fundamentals concepts of social change in the conception of the philosophy of history

mythical versus the historical understanding of time (Eliade, Bultmann) - the concept of time in ancient Israel versus in ancient Greece - ancient historiography (Herodotus, Thucydides, Tacitus, Livy) - Colingwood's features for Christian historiography (universal, providencial , apocalyptic, periodization) - milenarismus and chiliasm, Joachim di Fiore - differences between the medieval, renaissance and modern (Cartesian) historiography - progress in theory Bossuet, Condorcet, Turgot

 

 

2. Classical evolutionism and its approach to the issue of social change

the General Features: organicistic metaphor, metaphor embryos differences classical evolutionism and Darwinism - Auguste Comte in his conception and evolution of human knowledge, Law of three stages, social statics versus social dynamics - Morgan Lewis in three stages of development of human history: barbarism, savagery and civilization  

 

 

3. Neoevolucionismus in the 20th century anthropology

differences in comparison with classical evolutionism

- unilinear versus multilinear evolution - general versus specific evolution - Leslie White - role of energy - Julien Steward - Marshall Sahlins

 

 

4. Neoevolucionism in sociology after World War II

differences in comparison with classical evolutionism - Gerhard Lenski and his typology and developmental stages by: hunters and gatherers, gardening, agricultural and industrial companies - Talcott Parsons, types of companies, evolutionary universals, role in the evolution of cultural innovation, integration processes and differenciace, adaptive upgrading  

 

 

5. The reactions to neoevolucionismus in sociology from the late 20th century

the theory of structural differentiation - Smelser, - criticism of the theory of differentiation and division of labor: Ruescheymer: the relationship of power and division of labor, dedifferentiation processes

- the shift in the biologic neoevolucionism in sociology: variation, selection, stabilization - the role of system theory, sources of variability within the process variaions, selection of three types: of power, structural and material

- Eisenstadt's coalescing in theory, partly coalescing and nekoalescent changes

6. Theory of modernization

relationship of modernization theory and classical evolutionism - classical theories of modernization in the 50s, the definition of modernization: historical, relativistic, analytical - westernocentrismus in classical modernization theory, the context of the Cold War, - the convergence theory - neomodernistic and neokonvergence theory - transitology - multiple (multiple) modernity - Huntington's critique of modernization theories: the concept of political order

 

7. Cyclical theory of social change

Giambatisto Vico - Ibn Khaldun - Pareto - Sorokin - Danilevskij - Spengler - Toynbee

 

8. Concepts of social change in historical materialism

Karl Marx and his historical materialism - the Socio-economic formation - dependency theory (Cardoso) - the World-systems theory - Marvin Harris and his theory of cultural materialism  

 

9. Theory of Revolution

the etymology of the term revolution - classics: Marx and Tocqueville - Theda Skocpol's structural conception of revolution - Jean Baechler and his analysis of the revolutionary phenomenon: the classification of marginal groups and antisocieties

- the difference between political and social revolution - the difference between revolution and coup - Jaroslav Krejci: vertical versus horizontal revolution - Shmuel Eisenstadt: revolution and the theory of coalescing changes

 

* Required reading:
- SZTOMPKA, P. The Sociology of Social Change. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing 1993. ISBN 0-631-18205-5.

* Recommended reading:
- SMITH A. 1973. The Concept of Social Change. A Critique of the Functionalist Theory of Social Change. London: Routledge and Keagan Paul Ltd., 1973. ISBN 9780710076076.