syg2000 course hero what is the role of religion in the process of social change?

What is the best known account of how religion can bring about social change?

Max Weber’s ‘Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ is one of the best loved accounts of how religion can bring about social change. Weber pointed out that Capitalism developed first in England and Holland, taking off in the early 17th century (early 1600s).

Which theorists believe religion is a force for social change?

Functionalists and Traditional Marxists have generally argued that religion prevents social change. Neo-Marxists and the Social Action theorist Max Weber have argued that religion can be a force for social change.

What is the relationship between religion and social change?

Some Feminists tend to side with the view that religion prevents social change . Other Feminists recognise the potential for religion to bring about social change.

How does religion prevent social change?

Functionalist thinkers Malinowski and Parsons both argued that religion prevents social change by helping individuals and society cope with disruptive events that might threaten the existing social order. Most obviously, religion provides a series of ceremonies which help individuals and societies cope with the death of individual members.

What did Marx believe about religion?

Marx believed that religion helped to preserve the existing class structure. According to Marx religious beliefs serve to justify the existing, unequal social order and prevent social change by making a virtue out of poverty and suffering.

What was the role of Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights Movement?

This movement effectively helped to end racial segregation in America and secure more equal political rights for non-whites.

Who argued that the social norms instilled by Protestantism laid the foundations for modern capitalism?

To cut a very long winded theory short, Max Weber argued that the social norms instilled by Protestantism laid the foundations for modern capitalism. Neo-Marxist Otto Maduro pointed to the example of Liberation Theology in Latin America to demonstrate that religion can act as a force for social change.