Sociocultural evolution

Sociocultural evolution(ism) is an umbrella term for theories of cultural evolution and social evolution, describing how cultures and societies have developed over time. Although such theories typically provide models for understanding the relationship between technologies, social structure, the values of a society, and how and why they change with time, they vary as to the extent to which they describe specific mechanisms of variation and social change.

Related Topics:
Culture - Societies - Relationship - Technologies - Social structure - Values - Time - Variation - Social change

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Most 19th-century and some 20th-century approaches aimed to provide models for the evolution of humankind as a whole, arguing that different societies are at different stages of social development. Many of the more recent 20th-century approaches focus on changes specific to individual societies and reject the idea of directional change, or social progress. Most archaeologists and cultural anthropologists work within the framework of modern theories of sociocultural evolution. Modern approaches to sociocultural evolution include neoevolutionism, sociobiology, theory of modernisation and theory of postindustrial society.

Related Topics:
19th-century - 20th-century - Humankind - Social development - Social progress - Archaeologists - Cultural anthropologists - Neoevolutionism - Sociobiology - Theory of modernisation - Theory of postindustrial society

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