The concept of social change : a critique of the functionalist theory of social change / Anthony D. Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Anthony D.

Series:

Routledge revivals.

Routledge revivals

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social change.

Social evolution.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (146 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Abingdon, Oxon ; New York : Routledge, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Anthony Smith's important work on the concept of social change, first published in 1973, puts forward the paradigm of historical change as an alternative to the functionalist theory of evolutionary change. He shows that, in attempting to provide a theory of social change, functionalism reveals itself as a species of 'frozen' evolutionism. Functionalism, he argues, is unable to cope with the mechanisms of historical transitions or account for novelty and emergence; it confuses classification of variations with explanation of processes; and its endogenous view of chan

Contents:

Book Cover; Title01; Copyright01; Title02; Copyright02; Contents; Preface; chapter 1 Functionalism and social change; chapter 2 The 'neo-evolutionary' revival; chapter 3 The stages of evolution; chapter 4 Modernism and modernisation; chapter 5 Revolution; chapter 6 Equilibrium and change; chapter 7 Evolution and history; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

1-136-97108-4

1-282-56955-4

9786612569555

0-203-85167-6

9780203851678

OCLC:

609846476