Sociological theories of long time changes

1. Group 8 (I) presentation
Sociological theories of long time
changes
LECTURER:MRS F.K YAGBAJI

2. Group members..
1.JOETINA AUGUSTUS IBRAHIM MAGBITY 25096
2.FATMATA BINTA JALLOH 25036
3.FATMATA KANU 25070
4.ISHAKA KAMARA 25055
5.ZAINAB JALLOH 25044
6.JOSEPHINE YARTI PESSIMA 25105
7.FODAY KANU 25071
8.LAWRENCE NGENGU 25103
9.ADAMA ANSUMANA 25004
10.AMINATA MAMA JALLOH 25035

3. 11.DAUDA SUMA..
12.ABDULLAH PETER.. 25001
13.ADISATU YABOM BENDU 25020

4. INTRODUCTION…
Human societies are never static; they change over time. These changes
may be gradual (evolutionary), sudden (revolutionary), or repetitive
(cyclical). Sociologists have developed various theories to explain how and
why long-term changes occur. These theories differ in their assumptions,
focus, and implications, but all attempt to answer the central question: How
do societies transform over long periods of history? OR
The sociological theory of long term change explains how societies
transform over long periods (decades,centuries,millennia).It looks at
deep,structural shifts in economy,politics,culture,institutions,and collective
life-not just short term events..

5. Examples…
Rise and fall of civilizations (Rome,British Empire).
Transition from agrarian to industrial to digital society..
Global spread of democracy,human rights, and individualism..

6. MAIN THEORETICAL APPROACHES….
1. Evolutionary Theories
These theories argue that society changes in a progressive, step-by-step manner, moving from simple to more
complex forms.
Auguste Comte proposed the Law of Three Stages: societies evolve through theological, metaphysical, and
scientific stages.
Herbert Spencer likened society to a biological organism: just as organisms grow and differentiate, societies move
from undifferentiated structures (simple) to highly specialized ones (complex).
Émile Durkheim described a shift from mechanical solidarity in traditional societies (where people are similar and
share common values) to organic solidarity in modern societies (where people depend on each other due to
specialization).
👉 Significance: This view emphasizes progress and adaptation, seeing change as natural and inevitable.

7. 2. Cyclical Theories
View history as a cycle of rise, maturity, and decline, rather than endless progress.
Civilizations have a natural lifespan.
Examples: Spengler’s life-cycle of civilizations, Toynbee’s challenge-and-response,
Sorokin’s cultural cycles.
Implication: Longtime changes repeat patterns, with no guaranteed improvement.
3. Conflict Theories
Emphasize struggles between groups (class, race, gender) as the driver of deep social
transformation.
Example: Marx’s historical materialism—slavery → feudalism → capitalism → socialism.
Implication: Longtime changes are revolutionary, arising from tensions and inequality.

8. 4. Functionalist Theories
Argue that change is necessary when institutions can no longer perform their roles.
Example: Parsons’ structural differentiation—new institutions emerge as societies grow.
Implication: Longtime changes bring equilibrium and adaptation, not chaos.
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5. Modernization Theory
Views longtime change as a linear transition from traditional to modern societies.
Driven by industrialization, science, democracy, and urbanization.
Example: Rostow’s stages of economic growth.
Implication: Developing nations can modernize following the Western path.

9. 6. World-Systems Theory
Explains longtime changes in terms of the global capitalist system.
Core nations dominate, peripheries depend, semi-peripheries mediate.
Example: European colonialism shaping Africa’s long-term development.
Implication: Longtime changes are global, unequal, and shaped by power relations.
7. Cultural Lag Theory (William Ogburn)
Suggests that material culture (technology, inventions, tools) often changes faster than non-
material culture (values, norms, beliefs).
This “lag” creates tension until society adapts.
Example: Rapid spread of smartphones vs. slower adaptation of laws on privacy and
cybercrime.
Implication: Longtime changes are uneven and sometimes disruptive.

10. 8. Diffusionism
Argues that long-lasting social changes occur through the spread (diffusion) of cultural traits,
ideas, and technologies from one society to another.
Example: Spread of democracy, Christianity, or industrial technologies across continents.
Implication: Longtime changes are not always internally generated but can result from cultural
borrowing
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9. Structural-Functional Differentiation (Smelser & Parsons)
A refinement of functionalism: as societies grow, institutions split into more specialized roles to
handle complexity.
Example: In early societies, family handled education, health, and economy; in modern societies,
these functions are performed by schools, hospitals, and markets.
Implication: Longtime changes increase specialization.

11. 10. Postmodernist Theories
Postmodernists argue that longtime changes in recent history are marked by
fragmentation, diversity, and the rejection of grand narratives.
Example: The shift from mass production to flexible, consumer-driven economies; rise of
social media cultures.
Implication: Change today is not linear but pluralistic, unstable, and globalized.
11. Globalization Theories
Emphasize that longtime changes in the modern world are shaped by increasing
interconnectedness of societies through trade, media, migration, and technology.
Key Thinkers: Anthony Giddens, Roland Robertson.
Example: Internet creating a global culture, worldwide climate movements, economic
interdependence.
Implication: Longtime changes are transnational rather than confined to individual
societies.

12. 12. Feminist Theories of Social Change
Argue that gender relations are central to understanding enduring social transformation.
Women’s struggles for equality have reshaped family, education, law, and work over time.
Example: Women gaining suffrage, access to education, and workplace rights.
Implication: Longtime changes dismantle patriarchal systems and push towards gender justice.
13. Rationalization (Max Weber)
Weber argued that longtime change in Western societies was characterized by rationalization:
the shift from tradition and emotion to efficiency, bureaucracy, and calculation.
Example: Growth of bureaucratic states, capitalism, and scientific reasoning.
Implication: Longtime changes create more efficiency but may also produce the “iron cage” of
bureaucracy.

13. 14. Social Constructionism
Explains change as arising from the way people construct and reconstruct social
realities over time.
Example: The changing social meaning of childhood, gender roles, or marriage.
Implication: Longtime changes are not natural but negotiated by people’s shared
definitions.
15. Ecological/Environmental Theories
Stress the role of the environment and natural resources in shaping societal
transformation.
Example: Agricultural revolution, industrial revolution driven by coal, current climate
change reshaping economies.
Implication: Longtime changes depend on how societies adapt to their environment.

14. 16. Demographic Transition Theory
Argues that social change is deeply connected to population dynamics (birth, death, and migration
rates).
Stages: High birth/high death → declining death → declining birth → low birth/low death.
Example: Industrial revolution Europe saw population growth, later stabilized in modern economies.
Implication: Longtime changes in economy, health, and family structures are linked to population
trends.
17. Industrialization Theory
Focuses on how the shift from agrarian to industrial production causes lasting
transformations in society.
Example: The industrial revolution created urbanization, new classes (workers,
capitalists), and technological progress.
Implication: Industrialization is one of the most powerful forces of longtime change.

15. 18. Secularization Theory
Suggests that with modernization, societies gradually move away from
religious authority towards secular institutions.
Example: Decline of church power in Europe; rise of science and rational
thought.
Implication: Longtime change involves rebalancing power between religion and
secular systems.
19. Technological Determinism (Thorstein Veblen, Marshall McLuhan)
Claims that technology is the main driver of social change over time.
Example: Printing press → literacy & democracy; Internet → globalization &
social media revolutions.
Implication: Longtime changes depend heavily on innovations and inventions.

16. 20. Dependency Theory
A counter to modernization theory, arguing that poor nations remain underdeveloped
because of economic dependence on rich nations.
Example: Latin America’s dependence on exports to Europe/USA prevented
independent growth.
Implication: Longtime changes in developing countries are shaped by exploitation
and structural inequality
21. Resource Mobilization Theory
Suggests that social change (especially through movements) happens when groups
mobilize resources (money, networks, people, ideas) effectively.
Example: Civil rights movement in the U.S., anti-colonial struggles in Africa.
Implication: Longtime change depends not just on grievances, but on organization
and strategy.

17. 22. Social Network Theory
Argues that enduring social change is shaped by the
patterns of connections and relationships among people
and institutions.
Example: Arab Spring protests spread through social
media networks; scientific collaboration across countries
Implication: Longtime change spreads faster in highly
connected societies.

18. CONCLUSION…
Sociological theories of longtime changes offer multiple explanations for how societies
evolve across centuries.
Some (Evolutionary, Functionalist, Modernization) view change as progressive and
adaptive.
Others (Cyclical, Conflict, Dependency, World-Systems) emphasize struggle, inequality,
and decline.
Cultural, technological, demographic, and environmental theories highlight the specific
forces—like ideas, population, resources, or inventions—that shape history.
Postmodernist and network perspectives remind us that contemporary change is global,
fast, and fragmented.
Ultimately, longtime social change is complex, multi-causal, and interdependent—no
single theory explains it all. By combining these perspectives, we gain a fuller
understanding of how humanity’s past, present, and future are shaped.