Social Paralysis and Social Change

  • May 1991
  • Book
  • Publisher : University of California Press
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Smelser’s seminal work analyzes the dynamics of inertia and transformation in modern societies, focusing on Western Europe. He develops a framework to understand how institutional rigidities and cultural norms either facilitate or impede social change. This scholarly exploration integrates sociology, economics, and history to offer a nuanced theory of how social structures evolve or resist evolution. The book is a comprehensive history of mass education in 19th-century Britain, examining how class, religious, and economic conflicts influenced its development.

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NJ Smelser

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Key topics

Social Justice, Philanthropy and Human Rights

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