Analysis of Theories of Social Change
Keywords:
Cultural ascription and evolutionAbstract
The study is an integrated, and comparative analysis of theory of social change, social movement and modernity. Works of scholars such as Haferkamp and Smelser (1992), Smelser and Munich (1993),
Haferkamp (1992), Achebe (1958), and Achebe (1964) were analyzed to identify common and emerging patterns. The analysis of the theory of social change and modernity provided explanation for the winds of change which blew across Africa, leading to the breakdown of culture, the value systems and the unavoidable, inevitable conflict of culture and modernity. The comparative analysis revealed a common denominator of radical transformation, conflict and social cultural evolution that resulted from modernity social movement, westernization and social change. The study adopts a qualitative triangulation method of narrative essay and phenological approaches. This is in tandem with Creswell (2009) who posited that narrative essay tells the story in in-depth form while phenological studies analyzes settings and events. Triangulation of methods blends varying degrees of benefits inherent in divergent approaches. The selection of theories follows a purposeful sampling consistent with qualitative studies in order to draw information-rich samples. Purposeful sampling is a peculiar feature of a qualitative design as opposed to randomization in quantitative approaches
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