Social Analysis:

Analyzing the signs of the times

 Social Transformation

• A lifelong process which involves overcoming

many struggles against prevailing systems and
structures.
 Social Analysis

• A method or process that will give us a more

complete picture of our social situation and
examine it deeply.

• Helps us analyze the general quality of life and

other social activities and characteristics of a
community or society.
Concept of Social Analysis
• As an instrument of Christian reflection, social
analysis is rather new to the Church.

• In Pope Paul VI’s document, Octagesima

Adveniens, he wrote: It is up to Christian
communities to analyze with objectivity the
situation which is proper to their own country, to
shed in it the light of the Gospel’s unalterable
words and to draw principles or reflection, norms
of judgement and directives of action from the
social teaching of the church.
 Dimensions of Social
Analysis

• Subjective dimension- includes values,

ideologies, consciousness, and attitudes of the
members of the society.

• Objective dimension-Takes into consideration

the external structures such as various
organizations, and institutions.
Social Analysis should be:

• Historical -historical analysis is an analysis in

terms of time. It is the study of the changes of a
social system through time.

• Structural- structural analysis is an analysis in

terms of what is happening to a particular
structure.
Limits of Social Analysis
• It is not designed to provide an immediate answer
to the question, “what do we do?”. It does not give
a step by step solution.

• It is simply a diagnostic of a sickness. It does not

provide a cure.

• It is not being done purely for academic purposes

but it is for the service of justice.

• It is not value free.