The Evolution of Social Institutions Interdisciplinary Perspectives

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 proces...

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Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Bondarenko, Dmitri M. (Editor), Kowalewski, Stephen A. (Editor), Small, David B. (Editor)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 2020, 2020
Edition:1st ed. 2020
Series:World-Systems Evolution and Global Futures
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: Springer eBooks 2005- - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
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245 0 0 |a The Evolution of Social Institutions  |h Elektronische Ressource  |b Interdisciplinary Perspectives  |c edited by Dmitri M. Bondarenko, Stephen A. Kowalewski, David B. Small 
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260 |a Cham  |b Springer International Publishing  |c 2020, 2020 
300 |a XVII, 661 p. 47 illus., 22 illus. in color  |b online resource 
505 0 |a Part I: Theoretical Approaches -- Part II: The Old World -- Part III: The New World 
653 |a Social inequality 
653 |a Archaeology 
653 |a Ethnology 
653 |a Political History 
653 |a Social Structure, Social Inequality 
653 |a Political theory 
653 |a Archaeology 
653 |a Social Anthropology 
653 |a Political Theory 
653 |a World History, Global and Transnational History 
653 |a Social structure 
653 |a World history 
653 |a World politics 
700 1 |a Kowalewski, Stephen A.  |e [editor] 
700 1 |a Small, David B.  |e [editor] 
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520 |a 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.