1.07 Cultural Change

• Introduction
• Learn
• Try It
• Task

Introduction

Cultures usually change slowly and incrementally, although change can also happen in rapid and dramatic ways. The United States saw rapid change as a result of the social movements of the 1960s, and may be seeing it again, albeit for different reasons, through the 2000s. Change is usually thought of as "progress." We move from what seems to be outmoded ways of doing things to more innovative practices. Earlier in the unit, we saw how variations in culture, whether they were subcultures or countercultures, could have profound effects on the larger culture. This lesson looks at several other important processes that can also contribute to cultural change.