Librería Samer Atenea
Librería Aciertas (Toledo)
Kálamo Books
Librería Perelló (Valencia)
Librería Elías (Asturias)
Donde los libros
Librería Kolima (Madrid)
Librería Proteo (Málaga)
Amid the rapid currents of globalization and digitization, human society is being reshaped at an unprecedented rate. From macro-level social structures to the microcosm of individual lives, from traditional agrarian societies to modern information-age communities, the tentacles of transformation reach everywhere. Changes in family-based modes of production, the evolution of organizational forms, the reconfiguration of humankind’s relationship with the natural world, and the shifting patterns of cultural customs-all collectively sketch a complex, dynamic social tableau.Classical social theorists-among them Karl Marx, Max Weber, and C.S. Holling-offer invaluable viewpoints for understanding social transformation. In das Kapital (1867), Marx emphasized that 'social life is essentially practical,' such that shifts in modes of production necessarily reshape social relations. Weber, in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), underscored growing trends toward rationalization and bureaucratization in modern societies, which exert a profound effect on people’s work ethic and organizational structures. The ecologist Holling, in his studies on complex adaptive systems (1973), pointed out that an ecosystem is indeed such a system, wherein inter-species interactions are integral to ecological balance. Cultural anthropologist Clifford Geertz, in The Interpretation of Cultures (1973), argued that culture is more than a system of symbols and meanings-it molds societal and individual behavior in profound ways. For Geertz, culture should be seen as 'the framework of social action,' manifested in daily life through religious rituals, customs, and traditions-elements that not only sustain social continuity but also exercise a regulating and moderating influence amid social change.All four domains collectively shape a complex social-ecological system. People occupy multifaceted roles in family life, the organizations, ecosystems, and cultural rituals-roles shaped by personal factors as well as societal norms and cultural legacies. Each of these systems-family, enterprise, ecosystem, and cultural ceremony-is dynamic and open, continually exchanging material, energy, and information with the broader environment. Yet these systems also exhibit adaptability, continually self-adjusting to external changes. Individuals are pivotal in these systems, their actions reflecting personal needs while also influencing the state of the entire network-shifting societal structures or ecological balances in turn.Employing an interdisciplinary lens, this study delves into the shifting interplays among family, organization, ecosystem, and cultural ritual under conditions of social change. Anchored in four examples-the shift from rural family production, work satisfaction in enterprise settings, human-species collaborative dynamics, and cremation enshrinement-it uses combined methods of longitudinal tracking, quantitative analyses, and qualitative inquiries to illuminate core mechanisms of social transformation and to supply evidence for building a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable society. This research’s originality lies in merging theories and methodologies from anthropology, sociology, ecology, and management studies, thus pioneering a new, comprehensive approach to understanding multifaceted social systems. Through interdisciplinary integration, we can more fully discern the multidimensional impacts of social change, particularly in the interplay among economic, cultural, ecological, and structural factors.
