Teori Perubahan Sosial

Dr. Sawedi Muhammad, S.Sos, M.Sc

Student Leadership Forum (LSF) – Universitas Hasanuddin
Angkatan 2020, Batch III, Hotel MaxOne, 12 Nov, 2021
 “The only constant in life is change.”
(Heraclitus)

Apa itu
Perubahan? “Heraclitus, I believe, says that all things pass
and nothing stays, and comparing existing
things to the flow of a river, he says you could
not step twice into the same river.” (Plato)
“When you are finished changing, you are finished.” (Benjamin
Franklin)
Mengapa terjadi perubahan sosial?
Konsekuensi Perubahan Sosial
 THEORIES OF
SOCIAL CHANGE
Evolutionary Theory
• Charles Darwin (1859), the British biologist, who
propounded the theory of biological evolution,
showed that species of organisms have evolved
from simpler organisms to the more complicated
organisms through the processes of variations
and natural selection.
• Herbert Spencer (1890), who is known to be the
forerunner of this evolutionary thought in
sociology, took the position that sociology is “the
study of evolution in its most complex form”. For
him, evolution is a process of differentiation and
integration.
 Basic Assumption of Evolutionary Theory
That change is inevitable and
natural.
That stages of change are non-
reversible.
That change is gradual and That change is sequential and in
continuous. certain stages.
That the direction of change is
from simple to complex, from
That forces of change are homogeneity to heterogeneity,
inherent in the object. from undifferentiated to the
differentiated in form and
function.
That all successive stages of
change are higher over
preceding stage, i.e., evolution is
progressive.
That all societies pass through
same stages of development.
 Cyclical change is a variation on unilinear theory which was developed by Oswald

Cyclical
Spengler (Decline of the West, 1918) and Arnold J. Toynbee (A Study of History,
1956).

Theory They argued that societies and civilisations change according to cycles of rise,
decline and fall just as individual persons are born, mature, grow old, and die.

According to German thinker Spengler, every society has a predetermined life

cycle—birth, growth, maturity and decline. Society, after passing through all these
stages of life cycle, returns to the original stage and thus the cycle begins again.

Vilfredo Pareto’s (1963) theory of ‘Circulation of Elites’ is also essentially of this

variety. According to this theory, major social change in society occurs when one
elite replaces another, a process Pareto calls it ‘circulation of elites’. All elites tend to
become decadent in the course of time. They ‘decay in quality’ and lose their
‘vigour’.
 Functionalism, as a new approach of study of society, developed mainly as a reaction
to evolutionism, in the early years of twentieth century. Critics of evolutionism
Functionalism advocated that there was no use to know the first appearance of any item of culture
and social behaviour. They called it the “fruitless quest for origin”.

Theory
These theorists believed that the society, like human body, is a balanced system of
institutions, each of which serves a function in maintaining society. When events
outside or inside the society’ disrupts the equilibrium, social institution makes
adjustments to restore stability.

Thus, functionalists have nothing or very little to offer to the study of social change
as this approach is concerned only about the maintenance of the system, i.e., how
social order is maintained in the society. G. Homans, in one of his articles “Bringing
men back” (1964) stressed that the dominant characteristic in the functionalist
model is an inherent tendency towards stability. Society may change, but it remains
stable through new forms of integration.
Conflict Conflict theorists do not believe that societies smoothly evolve to higher level.
Instead, they believe that conflicting groups struggle to ensure progress (Coser,

Theory
1956).

Conflict theorists assert that conflict is a necessary condition for change. It must be
the cause of change. There is no society, changing or unchanging, which does not
have conflict of some kind or another. Thus, conflict is associated with all types of
social change in some way or other.

The modem conflict theory is heavily influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx. It may be
regarded as the offshoot of his economic theory of social change which states that
economic change only occurs and produces other change through the mechanism of
intensified conflict between social groups and between different parts of the social
system.
Conflict would ultimately transform society. While Marx emphasised economic
conflict. Max Weber based his arguments on conflict about power. Ralf Dahrendorf
(1959), although critical of Marxist notions of class, tried to reconcile the contrast
between the functionalist and conflict approaches of society.
Technological
Theory The ‘technology’ refers to the application of knowledge to the making of tools and
the utilisation of natural resources (Schaefer and Lamm, 1992). It involves the
creation of material instruments (such as machines) used in human interaction
with nature.

Social change takes place due to the working of many factors. Technology is not
only one of them but an important factor of social change. When it is said that
almost whole of human civilisation is the product of technological development, it
only means that any change in technology would initiate a corresponding change
in the arrangement of social relationships.

The invention of wheel, compass, gunpowder, steam engine, printing press,

telephone (now mobile phone), radio, TV, internet, aeroplane, motor car and so
many other inventions in medical and other fields have revolutionised the human
life. Advances in agricultural technology, ranging from the iron-tipped plow to the
tractor technology and the three-crop rotation system made possible the creation
of a surplus. One of the earliest books on social change written by W.F. Ogbum
(1922) has analysed such changes in detail.
The global
challenges of
human’s civilization
 University students are not merely recipients of Education
for Sustainable Development but have the capacity to
become agents for social change.

Students & There are various opinions on the role of students in

sustainable development. In most cases, they are identified
Sustainable as beneficiaries of ESD.
Development
Nicolaides (2006:418) for example, argues that the intention
of ESD is ‘to educate students as the future custodians of the
planet, to act ethically and responsibly and to demand less
resources and customer goods and the associated
manufacturing of pollutants’
 Students are also regarded as future decision-makers, developers and managers of
society’s institutions.

Universities are also expected to develop students who can play a role in advancing
knowledge and ensure a high quality of life in future (Clugston, 2000).

Student
function They are tasked with helping students to ‘understand the roots of environmental
degradation and motivate them to seek environmentally sustainable practices ...’
(Clugston & Calder, 2000:34)

Some of the priority roles of universities defined from emerging themes in

sustainability declarations in higher education (see Wright, 2002: 2004) are also
meant for students, for example, developing ecological literacy among students to
prepare them to deal with environmental problems and developing interdisciplinary
curricula for an environmentally sustainable future.
Student Roles Social change leads to transformation in thinking which in turn influences
behaviour patterns in society. Historically, social change has been driven by
cultural, religious, economic, scientific or technological forces

Contemporary rapid technological advances and escalating global changes

have impacted on the global economy in ways that are detrimental to the
environment and communities, threatening the sustainability of our societies

To address the challenges faced by global communities, educational systems

can transform values, attitudes and behaviour patterns to actuate social
change.

Education is a major instrument in initiating social adaptation “by bringing

about a change in outlook and attitude of man. It can bring about a change in
the pattern of social relationships and thereby it may cause social changes”
The Roles of University
• Educational institutions can respond to social change in a variety of
ways: they can alter their personnel practices, modify teaching
methods to improve retention, devise new skills to change student
attitudes towards social problems, create programmes and courses
that assist in resolving difficulties resulting from altered social
relationships.
• Education is understood to be information transfer and knowledge
acquisition.
• It is a transformative power that develops an initial awareness
which then translates to inner sensitivity which facilitates
significant personal change. Transformational change of personal
thoughts, attitudes, values and practices ultimately leads to social
responsibility that broadens minds and creates a better society
 With transformative learning social change is inevitable. Curriculum can
present opportunities for a shift in perspectives and mindsets of
individuals in society. Lifestyle choices and thinking approaches alter
communities, driving environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Sustainability is therefore inherently about social transformation through

formal and informal learning experiences.

The Roles of
University Global sustainability therefore implies a sustainable future in which
communities are: socially sustainable and care for each other with social
justice and peace; environmentally sustainable protecting natural systems
and use resources wisely.

Consequently through education an awareness of this three-way

relationship promotes „glocal' synergies, a basis of an ingrained
consciousness of guardianship of the finite world.
 A number of projects, some related to educational quality, are running at the
university as part of the student volunteer programme. These include:
Tutorship of students from disadvantaged schools

English literacy orientated project

Sponsorship schooling children

Student Hosting community fun days

projects AIDS awareness workshops

Covid-19 literacy programs

High schools (science disciplines students , the Young Royals and Zoology societies)

Establish and maintain community gardening for disadvantages family

SDGs Agenda
Professional Values
 Social Change Model of
Leadership
• The Individual: What individual qualities should our
programs attempt to develop? What personal
qualities support effective collective action and social
change?
• The Group: What processes do students need to
learn in order to work effectively in groups? How can
collaboration foster individual development and
social change?
• The Community/Society: How can involvement in
positive change in the community promote group
collaboration and develop individual character?
Source: By Wendy Wagner (Adapted from Higher
Education Research Institute, 1996, p. 19)
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC