Social Change

Social change plays a major role in the world today. Social change happens when a group of people improve themselves, or an outside force comes in to the society to change the way group feels and acts. In the 19th century many European forces were going into Africa. The book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe gives a good example of how social change had a huge impact on the point of view of the Ibo’s. European colonialism caused many changes to the African people. Social change affects things in society. There are different realms of social change if one of them changes most of the time another one is affected. The six realms of social change are, Religious/Philosophical, Political, Economic, Scientific/Technology, Social, and Cultural. For example, if there is a change in the realm of Religion, this can affect the realm of politics. This is because when you change the way someone thinks it can affect their views of how to make decisions. The Europeans brought colonialism to Africa they also brought their religion upon their arrival. It caused the Africans to change their views on how God's work and of who is in power. The Africans learning the new religion gave them different values such as the right to do trial and a real structure of government and justice.

The novel "Things Fall Apart" shows an amazing amount of information of how things fall apart for the for the Ibo people as a result of colonialism. In the book the British built a church to practice not only their religion but proved a station to push the Ibo to convert religions. This action begins in the realm of religion. If the Ibo begin to attend the church to practice Christianity instead of following their traditional beliefs, many parts of their culture changes. A different philosophy of what is right from wrong starts to form. Another change in the book caused by the British was the fact that they built a school where Ibo children can learn to read and write. This change begins in the realm of culture. Is the Ibo begin to read and write in the European language instead of traditional language, many parts of their philosophy changes. A different social structure will create a point of inequality. Which can eventually make other problems in other realms such as the political realm. Having inequality can allow people to be taken advantage of. For example, in the book the British had trick the Ibo elders to being captured and asked for a bounty upon the return of the council, But because there was a language barrier between the commissioner and the Ibo people. The handlers had to translate because they felt the Ibo people to be inferior they raised the bounty the Commissioner asked for and

took the extra for themselves. This shows the realm of politics changing for the Ibo now they have to answer to the British Commissioner for their wrongdoing. Forcing them to take on the corrupt British government. All these changes the British pushed onto the Ibo starts to completely changing their society piece by piece. A major change colonialism brought to colonize parts of the world is religion. A change in religion in any culture is a change in the foundation of a whole society, religion is a part of everything. In two photos by Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture each each photos features a different woman. The first picture shows a woman from Senegalese not changed at all by the colonization still wearing her local clothing. In the second picture it shows a different Senegalese woman who has been affected by colonization and has converted to Christianity. In doing so she has adopted the Christian clothing, changing the way she dresses. These are two good examples of how a change in religion can have major effects on culture. The African changing their Forces them to forget where they have come from and their peoples traditions and customs. This change does not only affect their culture it also affects the social realm because with new clothes people can be singled out to be converts. This can

cause inequality in a society allowing people to sometimes be viewed as inferior or traitors to a culture. For example in the novel “Things Fall Apart” Okonkwo views his son to be a girl because he has joined the white man and has converted abandoning his culture and people. In doing that his father and the local people all have hatred for him and exile him. Colonialism is both good thing for society but also a bad thing. The good part of colonialism is the fact that it help advance society allowing new innovation to help people. The bad part of colonialism is that it is a cruel way to trick people into abandoning there local culture and teaching for something that is sort of purposely brought to them to change them. I find it unfair and wrong.