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Notes On Q2 m6

This document discusses cultural, political, and social change. It examines the key concepts of social change according to sociologists and anthropologists. There are four main types of social change identified: alternative, redemptive, reformative, and revolutionary. The main factors that can drive social change are also outlined, including demographic, biological, cultural, technological, environmental, and psychological factors. The document then discusses concepts related to cultural change such as material and non-material culture, discovery, invention, diffusion, cultural lag, acculturation, and assimilation. Political ideologies that have driven change like liberalism, conservatism, laissez-faire, and utilitarianism are also summarized.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
49 views7 pages

Notes On Q2 m6

This document discusses cultural, political, and social change. It examines the key concepts of social change according to sociologists and anthropologists. There are four main types of social change identified: alternative, redemptive, reformative, and revolutionary. The main factors that can drive social change are also outlined, including demographic, biological, cultural, technological, environmental, and psychological factors. The document then discusses concepts related to cultural change such as material and non-material culture, discovery, invention, diffusion, cultural lag, acculturation, and assimilation. Political ideologies that have driven change like liberalism, conservatism, laissez-faire, and utilitarianism are also summarized.

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Jerico Malabana
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Cultural, Political, and Social Change

Learning Objective: Examine human responses to emerging challenges in contemporary societies

Social change – a concept in sociology which talks about a change in the established patterns of social relations, or
change in social values or change in structures and subsystems operating in the society
- used to indicate the changes that take place in human interactions and interrelations
- Auguste Comte – posed two problems
1. the question of social statics – what is
2. the question of social dynamics – how it changes
• The sociologists not only outline the structure of the society but also seek to know its
causes also
- a change in the social structure, Morris Ginsberg
- any modifications in the established patterns of inter-human relationship and standard of conduct, Lundberg
- “By social change, I understand a change in social structure, e.g., the size of the society, the composition or the
balance of its parts or the type of its organization.” Morris Ginsberg
- variations from the accepted modes of life; whether due to alteration in geographical conditions, in cultural
equipment, composition of the population or ideologies and brought about by diffusion, or inventions within the
group, Gillin and Gillin

Types of social change


According to cultural anthropologist David F. Aberle
- These different movements are distinguished by how much change they advocate and whether they target
individuals or the entirety of a society
1. Alternative social change – operates at the individual level and seeks to change minor aspects of behavior.
Campaigns against texting and driving are an example of alternative social change in the sense that they
advocate a small change in behavior and advocate this change on a small scale
2. Redemptive social change – functions on the individual level but advocates a dramatic change within the
individual. The spread of religion is an example of redemptive social change.
3. Reformative social change – seeks to enact a specific change on a broad scale. The movement to obtain
marriage rights for same-sex couples is an example of reformative social change. This movement seeks a very
specific set of changes but desires these changes on a wide scale.
4. Revolutionary social change – indicates dramatic change on a large scale. Revolutionary movements seek to
fundamentally restructure society. (Examples of revolutionary social change include the American Civil Rights
Movement and the Russian Revolution of the early-20th century.)

Main Factors of Social Change


1. Demographic Factors – refer to physical potentialities, mental abilities etc. that are determined by genetic order,
though the hereditary quality of successive generation play some role in cultural determination
- Qualitative aspect of demography cannot be ascribed the place of a deterministic cause of social change
- Quantitative aspect of demography has been playing the most decisive role in causing social change

2. Biological Factors – refer to those which are concerned with the genetic constitution of the human beings
- Rapid population growth influences our environment, causes poverty, food shortage and multiple health
problems and thereby brings changes in society. Migration accelerates the process of urbanization.
Urbanization creates multiple problems like slums, quality of health and life style. Similarly, the nature and
quality of human beings in a society influences the rate of social change.

3. Cultural Factors: ‘Culture’ denotes acquired behavior which are shared by and transmitted among the members
of the society. Man learns his behavior and behavior which is learnt is called culture. Singing, dancing, eating,
playing belong to the category of culture. It includes all that man has acquired in the mental and intellectual
sphere of his individual and social life. It is the expression of our nature, in our modes of living and thinking, in
art, in literature, in recreation and enjoyment. The basic elements of culture like language, religion, philosophy,
literature, faith, and values will take long time to change due to the influence of another culture.

4. Technological Factors: It implies an appropriate organization and systematic application of scientific knowledge
to meet the human requirements. Technology is a product of utilization. When the scientific knowledge is
applied to the problems of life, it becomes technology.

5. Environmental Factor: Due to floods, earthquake, excessive rain, drought, change of season etc. We can find
imbalance in population which directly affects social relationship and these are modified by such natural
occurrences. Variation in the availability of water resources and mineral resources can also affect social change.
If we think about a person or an individual who is growing under the roof of a particular society and he lives
among different kinds of people.
6. Psychological factors: Some writers notice a psychological process in the formation of society and, according to
them, human relations based on the considerations of the individual mind and the group mind shape and mold
social systems. Therefore, when physical forces like floods, earthquakes and epidemics are considered as factors
causing social change, the importance of the psychological factor in that regard cannot be ignored. Change in
attitude of society towards family planning, dowry, caste system, women's education etc. which brought about
radical changes in society are primarily psychological in nature.

Culture change
- Culture is the set of values, guiding beliefs, understanding ways of thinking and norms shared by members
of an organization.
- Societies continually experience cultural change both material and non-material level

Material culture – computers and electronic coding have made it possible to create a unique health identifier for each
person in Canada. This would enable them to make a data base that included everyone’s individual medical records from
birth to death and it could be used by health providers and insurance companies to transfer medical records anywhere
quickly.

Culture changes in 3 ways:


Discovery – the process of learning about something previously unknown or recognized
Invention – the process of reshaping existing cultural items into a new form. Items of material culture are more likely
candidates for diffusion than ideas or behavior patterns.
Diffusion – the transmission of cultural items or social practices from one group or society to another.
Other causes of cultural change
- Pressure arising from:
o Political ideas
o Environmental concerns
o Health concerns
o Social issues

Cultural lag – a gap between the technical development of a society and its moral and legal institution. This happens
when material culture changes faster than non-material culture, and it creates a lag (space) between the 2 cultural
components.

Acculturation the absorption of an individual or minority group of people into another society or group. This is achieved
by learning and adopting the cultural traditions of the society to which assimilation occurs.

Assimilation describe change in individual or group identity that results from continuous social interaction between
members of one group that are the minority and the majority culture group. The minority culture may disappear to the
majority due to its more dominant culture group. Example is interracial marriage

Cultural Elements
Hidden elements
- Values about what is important
- Norms about appropriate and inappropriate behavior
- Assumptions and beliefs about what is true
- Attitudes toward others and issues
Visible elements
- Symbol – things that stand for something else
- Material object that holds cultural meaning

Political changes
Liberalism
✵Emphasized rationalism, importance of individual happiness (individualism)
✵Role of state is to protect the freedom and rights of the individual
✵Believed that human rights would be lost if government intervened
✵Generally, reflected views of middle class

Conservatism
✵Believed in value of traditional life
✵More government intervention necessary to control society and preserve general order
Laissez Faire
✵No government intervention
✵Laissez faire would optimize economic growth (also known as free market)
✵“free market” theory – one where voluntary exchange and the laws of supply and demand provide the sole basis for
the economic system, without government intervention. A key feature of free markets is the absence of coerced
(forced) transactions or conditions on transactions.
✵Adam Smith (The Wealth of Nations) argued that by giving everyone the freedom to produce and exchange goods as
they pleased (free trade) and opening the markets up to domestic and foreign competition, people's natural self-interest
would promote greater prosperity than could stringent government regulations.
✵Karl Marx held a very pessimistic view of the possibilities for improvement in the living standards of the poor

Utilitarianism
✵Limited government intervention and regulation – some base level of government interference in the private lives of
citizens to assure safety and security
✵Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) agree with Adam Smith’s argument that it was best to free individuals to pursue their
own self-interest
✵advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and oppose actions that cause unhappiness or harm; aims for
the betterment of society as a whole

[Fiscal policy – the use of government revenue collection (taxes or tax cuts) and expenditure to influence a country's
economy. The use of government revenue expenditures to influence macroeconomic variables developed in reaction to
the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the previous laissez-faire approach to economic management became
unworkable. Fiscal policy is based on the theories of the British economist John Maynard Keynes]

Social Legislation – laws that seek to promote the common good, generally by protecting and assisting the weaker
members of society. Such legislation includes laws assisting the unemployed, the infirm, the disabled, and the elderly.

✵(UK) New Poor Law drafted in 1834, which was based on the pleasure pain calculation called the “less eligibility
principle.” ✵In order to receive poor relief, an individual had to enter a workhouse and in order to discourage people
from going on relief, conditions in the workhouse were designed to be worse than the conditions outside.
✵(UK) The Factory Act of 1833 – prohibited the employment of children under nine and placed limits on working hours
of those between the ages of 9 and 18. Factory Act of 1847 – limited children to 10 hours per day. This limit became the
standard working day for adults in textile mills.
✵(UK) The Mines Act of 1842 – prohibited the employment of women and of children under 10 years of age, in
underground mines.
✵(UK) With the condition’s workers had to endure and the outbreak of killer diseases, Edwin Chadwick helped draft the
Public Health Act of 1848, which included a General Board of Health to overseas conditions

Adaptation – the change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its
environment
- the action or process of adapting or being adapted or the process of changing to suit different conditions
- enhance the fitness and survival of everyone
- not always easy and not something simple
- conditioned on an individual or organism being physically fit and viable at all stages of its development and
evolution to be able to survive
Traits of adaptation
o structural adaptations – physical features of an organism such as shape, body covering, armament; and
even the internal organization (e.g., a penguin has blubbered to protect itself from freezing
temperatures)
o behavioral adaptations – composed of inherited behavior chains and/or the ability to learn (e.g., bears
hibernate in winter to escape the cold temperature and preserve energy)
o physiological adaptations – permit the organism to perform special functions like venom (in the snakes
and the like), secreting slime, phototropism; and more general functions such as growth and
development, temperature regulation and ionic balance
▪ this means that adaptation is adjusting decisions and activities in order to manage risks and
capture potential opportunities brought about by any changes in the environment such as global
warming and climate change

Behavioral adaptation
- same concept as risk compensation or risk homeostasis, or rebound effect
- the new ways people try and work on to meet goals more effectively especially if changes in their environment
are perceived to have a dangerous impact on their welfare
- happens when humans like any other organisms and animals try to act more cautious
- the things organisms do to survive
- unlike other adaptations, these are not always heritable but are learned

How humans adapted to change?


A. Genetic change is an inherited or acquired modification in organisms that makes them better suited to survive
and a particular environment.
o For instance, people whose ancestors have lived in areas that had endemic, malaria for thousands of
years often inherit some degree of immunity to this serious disease.
B. Developmental adjustments – one of the more powerful types of adjustments to environmental stresses is a
change in growth patterns and development. This occurs in childhood and typically results in anatomical and/or
physiological changes that are mostly irreversible in adulthood.
o An example of this is the now illegal custom in China of tightly wrapping or binding the feet of young
girls with cloth in order to hinder normal growth. While this caused permanent, crippling deformities of
the foot bones, it also resulted in extremely tiny feet which were perceived in the Chinese culture to be
very attractive. Parents crippled their daughters with good intentions. Small feet would make them
more attractive marriage partners for rich important men and save them from a life of drudgery.
C. Acclimatization and cultural practices. All other forms of adjustment to environmental stresses are usually
reversible whether they occur in childhood or adulthood. These reversible changes are referred to as
acclimatization or acclimatory adjustment. It is useful to consider the different forms of acclimatization in terms
of the length of time over which they can occur.
o An example of a long-term acclimatization is people who lose excess body fat and are very slender as a
result of mild, long-term undernourishment. If they later increase their diet to a consistent level of
excessive calories, they will very likely retain more body fat and eventually become obese.
D. Use of technology. Humans do not only interact with their environments biologically. People invented
technological aids that allowed us to occupy new environments without having to first evolve biological
adaptations to them. Houses, clothing, and fire permitted us to live in temperate and, ultimately, arctic regions
despite the fact we still essentially have the bodies of tropical animals. Human made technology eliminates the
biological adaptive advantages of individuals or groups. People wo have thicker layers of fat insulation under
their skin still usually survive better in cold climates, while people who are slender do better in hot ones.

Changes in the physical environment


Global Warming the result of the absorption of sunlight and solar energy that has bounced off the earth's surface by the
build-up carbon dioxide (CO2) and other air pollutants and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
- greenhouse effect – the result of the trapping of heat due to pollutants lingering in the atmosphere for years to
centuries with radiation that normally should escape into space causing the planet to become hotter
o a phenomenon in which radiation from the earth's atmosphere warms its surface to a temperature
higher than it would be without it
- the gradual rise in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, a phenomenon that is
thought to be irreversibly altering the Earth's climate
- As the earth's temperature rises, a huge amount of ice melts, causing a large volume of water to flow into the
ocean, raising the sea level. Since ice caps and glaciers have begun to melt, species that reside in such habitats
have begun to relocate, potentially leading to extinction due to habitat loss. Because of the vast volume of water
evaporated into the air as the sea level rises, high levels of precipitation will occur, and the earth will suffer
intense rains or storms. Carbonic acid is created when carbon dioxide dissolves in sea water, acidifying the
ocean as indicated by a pH shift.
- Furthermore, animals produce a lot of methane. Some fertilizers also produce nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas
that contributes to the rise in global temperatures.
- Everything happens in a series of events. One effect can lead to the occurrence of another. A lot can happen to
our ecosystem if we use these. Human limitations can be pushed by a variety of factors. It would put our health,
surroundings, and physical capabilities to the test.

Effects of global warming:


- Temperature rises on average
- Seasonal changes
- Severity of harsh weather events
- Water and food shortages
- Increased health risks
- Coastal inundation
- Increased frequency and intensity of cyclones and hurricanes are all factors to consider

Climate Change
Climate change has risen as a result of global warming. These terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but
they are distinct. Changes in weather patterns and growing seasons all around the world are referred to as climate
change. It also refers to the rise in sea level caused by warmer oceans expanding and melting ice sheets and glaciers.
Climate change is a result of global warming, and it poses a severe threat to human life on the planet in the form of
widespread flooding and catastrophic weather.
Climate change is characterized by irregular changes in the world's weather system, as evidenced by the
following indicators: rising sea levels, habitat destruction, ocean acidification, extreme weather. These occurrences in
various parts of the globe have an impact on all people on the planet. All attempts to understanding and predicting the
possible implications of climate change are dominated by uncertainty. Climate change, on the other hand, will have an
impact on every area of society, the environment, and the economy. Human behavior, livelihoods, infrastructure, laws
and regulations, and institutions are all likely to be impacted.

Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was one of the most intense tropical storms
ever recorded and was caused in part by climate change.
- The typhoon Yolanda phenomenon is one of the many difficult issues that threatened to devastate Philippine
civilization and the rest of the world. It had an impact on the Filipinos' physiological, emotional, and mental well-
being, as well as the world community's charity in times of need, regardless of political allegiances.
- Yolanda was said to have been caused by global warming and climate change. The issue is that most of us are
aware that climate change will have a significant impact on our society, but we do not fully comprehend the
phenomenon.

Adaptation to Global Warming and Climate Change


Adaptation to global warming and climate change will be needed, but it will not be as simple as it seems to be.
There are different programs implemented to avoid global warming and climate change. These actions seek to lessen
the vulnerability of all social and biological systems to the current and immediate issue of climate change. But even if
emissions are stabilized relatively soon, global warming and its effects will still last many years from now. And as human
population will increase in number and more people are living in highly arranged societies, there is a greater impact of
global warming, the more difficult adaptation will be.

Adaptation councils or committees have been formed to oversee the various ways people can adapt to the
changing environment in some countries. Each council and committees have duties to ensure that private parties
should be responsible for managing risks to private assets and incomes, while government entities, on behalf of the
community should be responsible primarily for managing risks to public schools and assets including the natural
environment and to government service delivery, and for creating an institutional, market and regulatory environment
that support and promote private adaptation.

Mitigation is another term for adaptation to climate change which is defined as technological change and substitution
that reduces resource inputs and emissions per unit of output. Several ways of mitigation include the following:
A) Using efficient energy generation technology
B) Using more efficient energy end user technology
C) Replacing fossil fuels with none or low carbon emitting energy generating technology such as renewable energy
sources or nuclear energy
D) Adopting a more sustainable natural resource management
E) Harvesting or extraction technologies and practice

Adaptation is a broader concept than mitigation because adaptation requires a good understanding of the natural
environment and the ongoing effects of climate change within and needs a thorough earth and environment
observation.

Global Responses
Adaptation is a long-term process of making lasting changes in response to climate change, with strong policy
connections to economic development, poverty reduction, and disaster management measures. At the international,
national, regional, municipal, and community levels, successful adaptation programs will include long-term thinking and
consideration of climate change implications. Climate change vulnerabilities, relevant technologies, capability, and local
coping strategies, as well as government policies and actions, must all be considered in adaptation planning.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated that unavoidable climate change impacts exceed
present coping capability, necessitating the implementation of adaptation measures by societies and ecosystems. The
IPCC defines adaptation as "adjustment of natural or human systems to existing or anticipated climatic stimuli or their
effects that mitigates harm or leverages favorable opportunities." Even though there are apparent ties between disaster
risk management and adaptation, the two approaches are supported by separate institutions, methodologies, and
policy frameworks.

Adaptation has a high price cost. According to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, developing nations will need
between 28 and 67 billion dollars by 2030 to adapt to climate change. Global adaptation funding is currently a fraction of
what is required.
To deal with uncertainty, adaptation methods must be robust against a variety of potential climatic outcomes. It
will also necessitate significant investment, notwithstanding the necessity to address cost estimation challenges.
Reducing poorer countries' vulnerability to climate change and ensuring that development assistance does not lead to
maladaptation.

Citizen engagement and awareness are required to maintain and prioritize climate change actions. We change,
grow, adapt, and possibly even learn and grow smarter as humans. As the international body in charge of developing
policy frameworks to ensure a multifaceted approach to climate change, you, as a member of society, may play a role.

[The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to
climate change.]

Transnational Migration – the Overseas Filipino Worker


People on earth are also facing adaptation challenges borne by the need for mobility. Life has been moving so fast and
people as well are changing residences as rapidly.

Migration – the process of geographic mobility or the change of residence of a person from one community to another
with the intention of settling temporarily or permanently
- the movement is often over long distances and from one country to another, or it can be within the immediate
community
- can be done by individuals, family units or in larger groups.

There are three types of mobility or migration namely:


i. International Migration – the permanent transfer of residence from one country to another
- the change of residence over national boundaries
- an international migrant is someone who moves to a different country
o international migrants can be further classified as
▪ legal immigrants – those who moved with the legal permission of the receiver nation
▪ illegal immigrants – those who moved without legal permission
▪ refugee – those who crossed an international boundary to escape persecution
ii. Internal Migration is a change in residence within a country and refers to a change of residence within national
boundaries, such as between states, provinces, cities, or municipalities.
- an internal migrant is someone who moves to a different administrative territory
iii. Circulation Migration is a temporary movement of a person
- The change in residence is temporary due to work or study, but the migrant will return to his/her home
community

Transnational migration occurs when people move from one country to another while maintaining their social ties. It is a
global phenomenon that is only becoming bigger in terms of scope, complexity, and influence. Migration is a source and
result of larger development processes, as well as a fundamental component of our globalizing world.

Trans-migrants are immigrants whose everyday lives are reliant on many and continuous interconnections across
international borders, and whose public identities are shaped by multiple nation-states.

Factors of Transnational Migration


- Overpopulation
- Poverty
- Underemployment
- Unemployment, and
- Low wage level

People flee to neighboring nations as a result of overpopulation. These people relocate to other countries because they
believe their current home no longer has adequate space for them. Migrants seeking new homes are more likely to be
found in countries with high population growth and density.

They leave their home nation for a variety of reasons, including economic. They migrate to other nations in pursuit of
better economic opportunities for their families. These people are motivated by a desire to profit. They send the money
to their relatives in their home country.

Advantages of Transnational Migration


Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), are a well-known example of transnational migration. According to the 2011
Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) report, the Philippines has 10, 455, 788 OFWs spread throughout 236
countries and territories, making it one of the top three labor-sending countries in the world, after India and China.
Remittances made for 12.65 percent of the Philippines' gross domestic product in 2012. (GDP). According to the National
Statistics Office-Survey of Filipinos [NSO-SOF] (2011), OFWs transferred a large amount of these remittances in cash to
the family they left behind to help them alleviate household financial restrictions, send their children to school, and
immigrate.

With these figures, OFW remittances are hailed, since they provide the country with greater economic
benefits; nonetheless, there has been much conjecture about the costs of migration within Philippine society.

In an unusual turn of events, the Philippines has become so successful as a labor exporter that it has neglected
to establish and deepen development processes. The goal of sending millions of workers per year indicates that
migration will play a significant role in the country's long-term development plans and prospects.

Labor migration from the Philippines is expected to continue even if the government does not intervene, given
the growth of social networks, social capital, and social remittances.

Filipino society has changed into a migration-savvy society, capable of responding to and adapting to the
shifting demands of the global labor market. Although it is agreed that labor migration has benefited migrants and their
families, the economic benefits beyond the family are less visible. While remittances are considered to have boosted the
country's economy, their development effects have yet to be felt.

Filipinos' educational and professional objectives were integrated into their perceptions of the international
labor market. Individuals make choices based on their ideas of what is best for them. However, these choices can have a
long-term impact on communities and the country.

Disadvantages of Transnational Migration


- Include anxiety about destabilizing impacts of migrations and families
- Delegation of responsibility to grandparents / nannies to care for their children
- Apprehensions about materialism, etc.

While the Philippine government cannot prevent individuals from leaving, they can play an important role in
tackling the physical, social, and cultural issues that transnational migration brings. Housing, social groups, and pre-
departure orientation courses are all examples of how they assist migrants in addressing their concerns and resolving
difficulties such as xenophobia and other human rights violations. They will have to figure out how to use migration as
a tool for development. International talks and reflections on migration and development going place in other nations
might teach the Philippines a lot.

Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) – a person of Filipino origin who works and lives outside the country. This term applies
to Filipinos who are abroad indefinitely as citizens or as permanent residents of a different country and also, who are
abroad for a limited, definite period as workers or as students

What are the effects on family of migrants?

Children of migrant workers have grown up not knowing both of their parents and have experienced long term
absence of parents which is the reason why there is very little affection between them. Many family relationships are
broken as one parent emigrates which causes a larger proportion of children growing up with divorced or separated
parents.

Some families experiencing these effects on family of migrants want to avoid getting into this situation; some Filipinos
do not have much choice because of very limited job opportunities in the country. Filipinos believe that they and their
family will have a bigger chance of having a better future if they work abroad. To keep in touch with their family, OFW
can use video chat, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, and the like to keep in touch with their family.

Condensed notes and text from Modules produced by La Union Schools Division, NCR, and Worksheet by Schools
Division of Marinduque

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