Abstract
Here, I take a closer look at the work of Michael Mann and Dingxin Zhao, who both have recent and important theories of social change. I first describe both their theories, talking about the ways that Zhao builds on Mann’s theory and what this adds. I then consider their respective critiques of social evolution and particularly point to the way that they are both operating with an older conception of social evolution. Finally, I discuss how their theories are perhaps more Darwinian than they realise and, consequently, what Darwinian social evolution can contribute to drawing out those implications.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bhambra, G. K. (2011). Talking among themselves? Weberian and Marxian historical sociologies as dialogues without ‘others’. Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 39(3), 667–681.
Boyd, R., & Richerson, P. J. (1992). How microevolutionary processes give rise to history. In R. Boyd & P. J. Richerson (Eds.), (2005). The origin and evolution of cultures. Oxford University Press.
Brenner, R. (1977). The origins of capitalist development: A critique of neo-Smithian Marxism. New Left Review, 104, 25–92.
Bryant, J. (2006). Grand, yet grounded: Ontology, theory, and method in Michael Mann’s historical sociology. In J. A. Hall & R. ,Schroeder (Eds.), An anatomy of power: The social theory of Michael Mann. Cambridge University Press.
Fehr, E., & Fischbacher, U. (2003). The nature of human altruism. Nature, 425, 785–791.
Fehr, E., & Gachter, S. (2002). Altruistic punishment in humans. Nature, 415, 137–140.
Gellner, E. (1964). Thought and change. Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
Goldstone, J. A. (2006). A historical, not comparative, method: Breakthroughs and limitations in the theory and methodology of Michael Mann's analysis of power. In J. A. Hall & R. Schroeder (Eds.), An anatomy of power: The social theory of Michael Mann. Cambridge University Press.
Goldstone, J. A. (2019). A truly ancient “great divergence” - a new history of the Chinese state. Chinese Sociological Review, 51(1), 98–105.
Gould, S. J. (2007). The Darwinian gentleman at Marx’s funeral: Resolving evolution’s oddest coupling. In P. McGarr & S. Rose (Eds.), The richness of life: The essential Stephen Jay Gould. Vintage Books.
Hall, J. A. (2019). The Chinese pattern of the past, in comparative perspective. Chinese Sociological Review, 51(1), 92–97.
Hearn, J. (2019). The idea of competition in Dingxin Zhao’s the Confucian-legalist state. Chinese Sociological Review, 51(1), 84–91.
Hobson, J. M. (2006). Mann, the state and war. In J. A. Hall & R. Schroeder (Eds.), An anatomy of power: The social theory of Michael Mann. Cambridge University Press.
Hodgson, G. M., & Knudsen, T. (2006). Why we need a generalized Darwinism, and why generalized Darwinism is not enough. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 61, 1–19.
Hodgson, G. M., & Knudsen, T. (2010). Darwin’s conjecture: The search for general principles of social and economic evolution. University of Chicago Press.
Hull, D. L. (1988). Science as a process: An evolutionary account of the social and conceptual development of science. The University of Chicago Press.
Hutchinson, J. (2005). Nations as zones of conflict. Sage.
Kerr, W. (2019). The descent of nations: Social evolutionary theory, modernism and ethno-symbolism. Nations and Nationalism, 25(1), 104–123.
Kiser, E. (2006). Mann’s microfoundations: Addressing neo-Weberian dilemmas. In J. A. Hall & R. Schroeder (Eds.), An anatomy of power: The social theory of Michael Mann. Cambridge University Press.
Levathes, L. (1994). When China ruled the seas: The treasure fleet of the dragon throne, 1405–33. Oxford University Press.
Lewens, T. (2007). Darwin. Routledge.
Lukes, S. (2005). Power: A radical view (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Mahoney, J. (2000). Path dependence in historical sociology. Theory and Society, 29(4), 507–548.
Mann, M. (1986). The sources of social power, volume I: A history of power from the beginning to A.D. 1760. Cambridge University Press.
Mann, M. (1987). Letter to the editor on “the old question”. London Review of Books, 9(6). https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v09/n04/w.g.-runciman/the-old-question.
Mann, M. (1993). The sources of social power, volume II: The rise of classes and nation-states, 1760–1914. Cambridge University Press.
Mann, M. (2006). The sources of social power revisited: A response to criticism. In J. A. Hall and R. Schroeder (Eds.), An anatomy of power: The social theory of Michael Mann. Cambridge University Press.
Mann, M. (2012). The sources of social power, volume III: Global empires and revolutions, 1890–1945. Cambridge University Press.
Mann, M. (2013). The sources of social power, volume IV: Globalizations, 1945–2011. Cambridge University Press.
Mann, M. (2016). Have human societies evolved? Evidence from history and pre-history. Theory and Society, 45, 203–237.
Mann, M. (2019). Sources of social power and Ding Xinzhao’s reading of Chinese history. Chinese Sociological Review, 51(1), 65–75.
Poggi, G. (2006). Political power un-manned: A defence of the holy trinity from Mann's military attack. In J. A. Hall and R. Schroeder (eds.). An anatomy of power: The social theory of Michael Mann. Cambridge University Press.
Runciman, W. G. (1987). The old question: Review of The sources of social power volume I. London Review of Books, 9(4). https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v09/n04/w.g.-runciman/the-old-question.
Runciman, W. G. (2004). The diffusion of Christianity in the third century AD as a case-study in the theory of cultural selection. European Journal of Sociology, 45(1), 3–21.
Schroeder, R. (2006). Introduction: The IEMP model and its critics. In J. A. Hall & R. Schroeder (Eds.), An anatomy of power: The social theory of Michael Mann. Cambridge University Press.
Sperber, D. (1996). Explaining culture: A naturalistic approach. Blackwell Publishing.
Spruyt, H. (1994). The sovereign state and its competitors: An analysis of systems change. Princeton University Press.
Sterelny, K. (2001). Dawkins vs. Survival of the fittest. Icon Books.
Zhao, D. (2015). The Confucian-legalist state: A new theory of Chinese history. Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kerr, W. (2021). Theories of Social Change. In: Darwinian Social Evolution and Social Change . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77999-3_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77999-3_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-77998-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-77999-3
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)