Please note: In order to keep Hive up to date and provide users with the best features, we are no longer able to fully support Internet Explorer. The site is still available to you, however some sections of the site may appear broken. We would encourage you to move to a more modern browser like Firefox, Edge or Chrome in order to experience the site fully.

The Evolution of Social Institutions : Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Hardback Book

The Evolution of Social Institutions : Interdisciplinary Perspectives Hardback

Edited by Dmitri M. Bondarenko, Stephen A. Kowalewski, David B. Small

Part of the World-Systems Evolution and Global Futures series

Hardback

Description

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. 

Information

£149.99

 
Free Home Delivery

on all orders

 
Pick up orders

from local bookshops

Information

Also in the World-Systems Evolution and Global Futures series  |  View all