THE PRESENT AS A PROCESSUAL PRODUCT

We must, however, not minimize the importance of earlier studies. Proposing a functional theory of change, Talcott Parsons made it clear that any ‘ordinary system … is capable of description of, on the one hand a structure, a set of units or components with … stable properties, which of course may be relational, and on the other hand of events, of processes, in the course of which “something happens” to change some properties and some relations among them’ (Parsons, 1961: 220). The message is clear: even the study of structure or system pays attention to the phenomenon of change.

In a way, the study of non-change is also a study of change, for such analyses hint at the factors that disallow change. A theory of change should be able to explain both how change occurs, and why things do not change. Factors that facilitate or hinder change form the subject matter of the study of change.

Sociologists treat the present as a processual product. A living society is a system of operation of various processes, and at any given point in time its structure can be viewed as an outcome of these processes. Thus, the present represents the product, but not its final version, as it continues to be functioning—that is, engaged in various processes—thereby changing its profile further. What we call change in society is the quantum and direction of movement; it implies the difference in its appearance and functioning in a time frame. If a society is studied at Time Point 1 and again at Time Point 2, the difference between the two time points is to be seen as the quantum of change [C(hange)=T(ime point)2 –T(ime point)1]. Such studies are called diachronic.

There are various ways in which change can occur. For example:

1. Continuance of the same but with different role players. This is the demographic dimension. An institution may remain the same, but the occupants of the various statuses in that institution may change, because they may move out or die out. A school, for example, may change all its staff, while the student population may also be replaced with the graduation of old students. The school, in this sense, may remain unchanged as an institution with an identity of its own; but change is noticeable in terms of the concrete individuals engaged in the activities of the school in different status positions. The school building may be renovated or made bigger to accommodate more classes and laboratories, the old staff may retire or leave and be replaced by new appointments, new subject specializations may be introduced; and the entire student population may change, representing the same age groups, but not the same persons. Such changes do not affect the identity of the school, but they certainly impact its functioning and visibility.A different example is that of a nuclear family. A particular nuclear family may become a stem family or a joint family, or may be reduced to a two-person unit of a couple, whose children move out to form their own conjugal units, and finally a nuclear family. In all these instances, a particular family experiences changes, but the institution of the nuclear family continues.
2. More of the Same. This dimension of change indicates enlargement of the structure. An increase in the number of a particular type of institution, for example, is also indicative of change, and has implications for the social system. Increase in the number of nuclear families, or in the number of towns, or the number of artisans of a particular variety, or more births/deaths, etc., are also indicators of change.
3. Different Variations of the Same. Another type of change is that which occurs within a given structure or practice. For example, marriage as an institution continues, but the manner in which a wedding ceremony is held is constantly changing—many rituals are dropped, new rituals or different functions added, specialists manage the event, etc. In India, a marriage ceremony also involves a number of inter-caste relations governed by traditional norms. Earlier, every family had its own Kumhar (potter), Nai (barber), priest, etc. They had specified roles connected with the rites depassage of the patron family. Now, in urban settings, these roles are performed by their functional equivalents, or are dropped completely. Marriages are also being conducted through the Internet—with the priest sitting in Delhi, officiating the wedding of two individuals in an American town. The institution of marriage is still there, but the manner in which it is conducted is becoming very different. Caste considerations in choosing a mate, the importance accorded to the horoscope of the persons to be wedded, the manner of inviting close relatives and other guests, the elaborate wedding arrangements, use of digital photography and modern technology are features that are very different from weddings held in the 1980s, and are indicators of change relative to the organization of a wedding.
4. Deviations from the Norm. Aberrations, non-conformity, and related processes of disorganization operating in a given social system suggest a departure from the set patterns, and can thus be considered indicative of change.
5. Emergence of Superstructures: The process of Epigenesis. Epigenesis implies the unification of social units into a larger unit. This is a process where the merging units retain their individual identities and yet become, at the same time, part of a wider unit. This process can be clearly seen at the international level. The ASEAN, SAARC and the European Economic Community (EEC) are examples of epigenesist (see Etzioni, 1963). This process is different from a simple merger into a larger unit. For example, the merger of the state of Sikkim into the Indian Union did not create a new superstructure; it was a case where a system merged into an already existing structure. For the Indian system as a whole, it was a case of enlargement while for Sikkim, it was a change in status from a system to a sub-system.
6. Split or Partition. A larger system may be split into two or more units with each splinter unit assuming the status of an independent system. The partition of India into Bharat and Pakistan, and later the partition of Pakistan into Pakistan and Bangladesh, are examples of this process at the national level. However, such splits can also occur in sub-systems within societies.
7. Total Disappearance or Death of a Social System.

We shall now examine the processes of social deviation and technological change, and then the processes of change initiated in the developing world in the form of Westernization and modernization, paving the way for the process of globalization that has now affected every society in the world.