Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

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Change

Change

Change is said to be the only permanent thing in the world. The societies of
today are no exception – they may develop and last for a long time, but there
is also the possibility of a drastic political, cultural, or social change in the
near future. There are a variety of factors which can serve as catalyst in
changing societies.
At the end of the lesson, you will learn the following:
1. Identify new challenges faced by human populations in contemporary
societies
2. Describe how human societies adapt to new challenges in the physical,
social, and cultural environment
3. Develop a plan of action for community-based response to change

Social, Cultural, and Political Change

Social and political changes are relevant parts of the development of the
society. both have a great impact on the lives of individuals all over the
world, in different times. This is evident in the differences between the
generations – people who were born in 1960s live a lifestyle that is different
from those who were born in the 1990s and in the new millennium. This is
due to the social, political, and cultural changes that have occurred during
those time periods.
First, we must understand what social change and cultural change are. These
two words are often used interchangeably, but sociologists argue that these
terms have different meanings.
According to sociologists Robert MacIver and Charles Page, social change
refers to transformations that alter the roles and status of people as well as
the structure and organization of society and its institutions. It is the
transformation of culture and social structure over time. Cultural change, on
the other hand, refers to the dynamic process in which the living cultures of
the world change and adapt to external or internal forces.

Sources of Social and Cultural Change

There are a variety of factors that serve as catalysts for social, cultural, and
political change. Certain processes drive the society into change.
Innovation: the process of introducing new ideas, things, and methods in
society. It leads social change when new ideas begin to spread throughout a
society through diffusion.

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 An example of significant social change caused by technology is the
introduction of mobile phones. When it was first introduced in the 1990s,
many people believed that it was not going to be as popular as landlines and
mail due to its expensiveness and bulky design. But with technological
innovations come the introduction of compact and more affordable mobile
phones, which the society immediately accepted.
Diffusion: the spread of certain elements from one group to another in
society. An idea, object, or process is introduced and becomes widely
accepted in society, causing social change.
Aside from technology, social change was also brought by the spread of new
ideas, ideologies, and views. One great example would be the recognition of
women’s rights. During the Industrial Revolution, the emergence of factories
led to the need for greater workforce, and so women were being hired as
well as men. This gave women the greater role in the workplace as well as in
the society, as they are no longer confined to housework. This led to more
relevant events in history, such as the recognition of women’s right to
suffrage and their right reproductive health.
Acculturation: refers to the process in which individuals and groups learn
aspects of a culture that is not their own. Immigrants, for instance, have to
learn the language prevalent in the country they live in, and adapt to a
different lifestyle.
Assimilation: the process in which the individual or group fully adopts
another culture, often leading to the loss of their native culture.
Social contradiction: a process that takes place when two social groups or
classes are so different that a compromise between them is impossible. In
Conflict Theory, the structure of the society consists of the contradicting
capitalist and working classes. Contradiction can occur when new ideas are
introduced. It can also happen when social change affects a certain social
class. This eventually leads to a social tension, which in turn may bring
about conflict between social classes.
There have been numerous instances in which social change was brought
about by social contradictions and tensions. In the United States, the issue of
slavery sparked the civil war between The Union and the Confederate States
of America in 1861. In the Philippines, the social tension brought about by
political issues caused the peaceful uprisings now known as EDSA 1 and
EDSA 2.

Political Change
Political change takes place when there is a significant disruption that leads
to the alteration in the way power and authority are exercised in a state.
Sometimes this change entails a shift in the relationship between the
government and those who are governed.
Significant circumstances often bring about political change in a state. For
instance, extreme political changes such as the change in the system of
government, are often caused by a revolution. A revolution is, according to
the political scientist Theda Skocpol, a “rapid and basic transformation of a
society’s state and class structures that are accompanied and in part carried
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
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Change

through by class-based revolts from below.” It is classified into two primary

forms: political revolution and social revolution. Political revolution results
in the change of government, but does not alter other aspects of society.
Social revolution, on the other hand, leads to a large scale change in the
society, from the government and other institutions to the social structures.

New challenges to human adaptation and social change

A progressive society requires social change. However, there are challenges
which we must overcome in order to ensure this.
With the society’s development comes new challenges that everyone must
face. One of these challenges is the global warming and climate change. These
two terms are often used interchangeably, as both refer to the extreme
change in climate patterns all over the world.
Climate change is defined as the change in the patterns of temperature,
precipitation, humidity, wind and seasons all over the world. It is the
consequence of unchecked pollution when carbon emissions caused by
human activities enter the air. Moreover, these have dangerous effects on the
environment, as well as the economy and the well-being of individuals.
Another challenge that society must overcome is migration. This refers to the
movement of people from one place to another for the purpose of temporary
or permanent residence. This can be Emigration (also called out-migration)
which is the movement of people out of their country, or Immigration which
is the movement of people into a country that is not their native land. There
is also Internal migration, or movement of people within their country, such
as moving from one city to another.
Migration leads to certain issues which often lead to social conflict. For
instance, there are countries which do not welcome immigrants because they
are perceived to take away jobs from the locals. There is also the matter of
ethnicity and cultural differences, which often leads to the ill treatment of
immigrants.

Responding to social, political, and cultural change

Social change has a great impact to the society. Many of the changes that
people have experienced throughout the history comes with numerous
challenges which must overcome. It is for this reason that people devised
various ways of dealing with social, political, and cultural change through
involvement and collective action. These actions are what we need in order
to respond to the social, political, and cultural changes that are happening.

Inclusive Citizenship and Participatory Governance

Citizenship is defined as the legal state of being vested with the rights,
privileges, and duties of a citizen. This allows an individual to be a
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 beneficiary of social welfare programs and other public services provided by
a State.
There are different bases for citizenship in different states. In the Philippines,
the 1987 Constitution recognizes a person as a Filipino citizen nased on the
following:
1. Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of
the 1987 Constitution;
2. Those whose parents, mothers or fathers are citizens of the Philippines;
3. Those born before 17 January 1973, of Filipino mothers, and who elect
Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority; and
4. Those who undergo naturalization process.
Several views exist regarding the nature of citizenship as it relates to
involvement in politics and society. The view on inclusive citizenship
believes that marginalized groups and individuals should be empowered and
included in the political processes. Deliberate views on citizenship consider
citizens as being involves in dialogue, information exchange, and decision-
making. Then there is the difference democratic view of citizenship which
see that the practice of one’s citizenship is not limited to direct involvement
in government, or public events – the citizen must also be active in civil
society and private sector. Lastly, the cosmopolitan view of citizenship
extends citizenship beyond the state to regional and international levels.
Inclusive view of citizenship continues to redefine the nature of citizen
involvement. It implies a citizenry that is engaged in governance.
Participatory governance, according to the United Nations Committee of
Experts on Public Administration (CEPA), is one of the many public
institutional strategies that contribute to shared visions in planning,
budgeting, monitoring and accountability of development policies and
programs. This allows citizens to participate in political processes aside from
elections.

New Forms of Media and Social Networking

New media refers to the various forms of electronic communication made
possible by digital or computer technology. Examples are cable and satellite
communications and the Internet.
Social media refers to forms of electronic communication which facilitate
social interaction and formation of online communities through the exchange
of user-generated context. This includes websites and applications like social
networks, forums, microblogs, and more.
Media become a significant source of political change especially in the
modern times. Electronic communication has altered the conduct of
elections. E-campaigning is gaining popularity, especially among the youth.
Another innovation is the electronic voting (e-voting), which is now
practiced by countries like France and Germany in Europe and India and the
Philippines in Asia.
Social Movements
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
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Change

Social movements have occurred with the aim of creating social and political
change by means of collective action. There three different kinds of social
movements based on the type of social or political change they are able to
develop.
Reform movement is a type of social movement which successfully
introduced changes in the political structures and processes of their
respective societies. Revolutionary movement refers to a kind of social
movement that resulted to massive and deep changes in society and politics.
Lastly, religious movements aim to achieve better recognition of their
religion.

References
Atienza, Maria Ela et. al. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society & Politics for
Senior High School. C&E Publishing Inc.
Ernest, Ionescu (2009). What are Social Contradictions? Retrieved from:
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Are-the-Social-
Contradictions?&id=2356198
Social Change: Definition, Purpose, and Type. Retrieved from:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/political-change-definition-
purpose-types.html
What is Climate Change? Retrieved from:
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/climatechange/whatis.htm

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