Page 287 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Sukanya Das, Lovely Professional University
Social Structure and Social Change

Notes
Unit 13: Factors of Social Change

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
13.1 Factors of Social Change
13.2 Rate of Social Change
13.3 Impact of Social Change
13.4 Social Change and the Future
13.5 Explanations of Social Change
13.6 Industrialisation
13.7 Summary
13.8 Key-Words
13.9 Review Questions
13.10 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit students will be able to:
• Know the factors of social change
• Discuss impact of social change
• Explain the social change and the future.
• Describe the explanations of social change.
Introduction

There are a number of factors which are responsible for continuity and change in Indian society.
Change may occur through adaptation or integration. Adaptation occurs when existing institutions
readjust to meet new needs. Integration occurs when a society adopts a new element and makes it
part of itself. Of the various factors which have enabled our society to adapt/integrate or fail to
adapt/integrate, the most important ones are: political independence and introduction of democratic
values, industrialisation, urbanisation, increase in education, legislative measures, social change in
caste system, and social movements and social awareness (like feminism, globalisation and anti-
casteism). We will analyse all these factors separately.
13.1 Factors of Social Change

Social change is brought about by various factors. These factors are mainly responsible for the
differences in the rate and nature of change in different societies and at different times. They may be
broadly classified into the following categories:
Biological Factors
Biological factors may be further classified into two types- non-human biological factors, and human
biological factors.
The non-human biological factors include plants and animals. They affect the lives of the people in
varied ways. Human beings need plants and animals for survival, be it for food, cloth, medicine and
other purposes in many different ways as defined by one’s culture. At the same time, man also
eliminates or keeps away harmful and poisonous plants and animals by any available means. Man

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