The evolution of social institutions : interdisciplinary perspectives / Dmitri M. Bondarenko, Stephen A. Kowalewski, David B. Small, editors.
2020
HM626
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Title
The evolution of social institutions : interdisciplinary perspectives / Dmitri M. Bondarenko, Stephen A. Kowalewski, David B. Small, editors.
ISBN
9783030514372 (electronic book)
3030514374 (electronic book)
3030514366
9783030514365
3030514374 (electronic book)
3030514366
9783030514365
Publication Details
Cham : Springer, 2020.
Language
English
Description
1 online resource
Item Number
10.1007/978-3-030-51437-2 doi
10.1007/978-3-030-51
10.1007/978-3-030-51
Call Number
HM626
Dewey Decimal Classification
303.4
Summary
This book presents a novel and innovative approach to the study of social evolution using case studies from the Old and the New World, from prehistory to the present. This approach is based on examining social evolution through the evolution of social institutions. Evolution is defined as the process of structural change. Within this framework the society, or culture, is seen as a system composed of a vast number of social institutions that are constantly interacting and changing. As a result, the structure of society as a whole is also evolving and changing. The authors posit that the combination of evolving social institutions explains the non-linear character of social evolution and that every society develops along its own pathway and pace. Within this framework, society should be seen as the result of the compound effect of the interactions of social institutions specific to it. Further, the transformation of social institutions and relations between them is taking place not only within individual societies but also globally, as institutions may be trans-societal, and even institutions that operate in one society can arise as a reaction to trans-societal trends and demands. The book argues that it may be more productive to look at institutions even within a given society as being parts of trans-societal systems of institutions since, despite their interconnectedness, societies still have boundaries, which their members usually know and respect. Accordingly, the book is a must-read for researchers and scholars in various disciplines who are interested in a better understanding of the origins, history, successes and failures of social institutions.
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Series
World-systems evolution and global futures.
Available in Other Form
Print version: 9783030514365
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