Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Social Change

This introduction to social change covers the momentous and relatively recent changes that have occurred in the human condition, examining not only the major causes and conditions underlying our current situation, but also the main choices and options we face as we strive to shape our individual and collective futures. This edition of Social Change has been thoroughly updated and revised. Building on previous editions, the book introduces a social scientific approach to change, discusses the components of change and the factors driving them, examines change on the macro-level, then looks toward the future with a discussion of planned change. Most chapters explore societies of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and include comparative dimensions, especially along First, Second, and Third World lines. The engaging narrative traces several themes, such as the rise of capitalism and the socialist alternative, or civil rights movements in the United States and elsewhere, throughout the book. Social Change, Third Edition features a new discussion of the recent economic crisis and the interconnectedness of the global economy, new empirical data on globalization, and updated discussions of the concepts of evolution and altruism. It also incorporates the dramatic changes in India and China throughout the book. Review Jay Weinstein's book is exceptionally thorough and covers the field of social change very nicely. It is particularly strong because of its comparative approach and includes a lot of useful historical material as well as succinct accounts of the major theoretical approaches to the subject. This new edition is not only an excellent textbook, but is worth reading for its own sake by anyone who wants to know more about how societies develop, change, and adapt.--Daniel Chirot, University of Washington About the Author Jay Weinstein is a native of Chicago and received his B.A. and Ph. D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His M.A. is from Washington University- St. Louis, and he pursued additional graduate studies at McGill University (Montreal) and Madras (now Chennai) University in India. He served on the faculties of the University of Iowa, The Georgia Institute of Technology, and Eastern Michigan University, where he now holds the Rank of Professor of Sociology, Emeritus. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Social Change 3e and Applying Social Statistics. During the course of his nearly fifty year career, he has been active with the American Sociological Association, as Chair of the Section on Sociological Practice and co-founder of the Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity, He also served as President of the Michigan Sociological Association, The North Central Sociological Association, and The Society for Applied Sociology. He edited the journal, Studies in Comparative International Development for ten years and is the founding editor of the Journal of Applied Social Science. He is the recipient of many awards of recognition for his teaching, research, and service to the profession, including two Fulbright Professorships in India.