Theories Of Social Change And Their Impacts On Contemporary Nigerian Society

Abstract

The paper studied theories of social change in contemporary Nigerian society. Social change is a way of human interactions and relationships which transform cultural and social institutions. The importance of understanding social change in Nigeria stems largely from the fact that there are unresolved social problems in Nigeria which are occasioned by constant changes in social structure, social relationshipsand social institutions. It is against this backdrop, that this paper discussed the dimension of the changes in socio-cultural, political and economic conditions in Nigeria through a theoretical discourse. The paper also examined the impacts of social change in the social relations and survival of people in contemporary Nigerian societies. It identifies natural environment, technological innovations, demographic processes, economic processes, social movement, population, ideas and political processes as the main cause of social change. There is also a review of the agents of social change which include: technology, social institutions, modernization and environment as the main agents of social change. Other social theories of social change which includes evolution and functionalist are also discussed. e. The paper concludes with examining the effect of the theories of social change in contemporary Nigerian society.