Aspects of Sociology: Social Change, Social Movement, Class in Australia, Youth Subcultures

This article explores various aspects of sociology including social change, social movement, class in Australia, and youth subcultures. It discusses the different theories and concepts related to these topics and provides examples to help readers understand them better.

Running Head: ASPECTS OF SOCIOLOGY
Aspects of Sociology
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Author Note

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Table of Contents
SOCIAL CHANGE.........................................................................................................................2
SOCIAL MOVEMENT...................................................................................................................4
CLASS IN AUSTRALIA................................................................................................................6
YOUTH SUBCULTURES IN AUSTRALIA TODAY..................................................................8

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SOCIAL CHANGE
It is the law of nature that everything changes with the passage of time. Man has evolved
from the Paleolithic age to the Neolithic age. If anything is settled, immobile or stagnant, it is
considered to be lifeless, and poisonous (Cohen and Felson 2016). It is also true that no change
is permanent. Change is needed for refreshment, recreation and thus can be noticed in every
domain of life. It occurs with the society also. Society is subject to transform, reconstruct,
modify, decline and rejuvenate according to the situation (Guo and Saxton 2014). The
individuals construct a society. Hence, social change refers to the change in the ways of living of
the individuals that effects the social correlations and interactions. It is done to keep all societies
in a state of equilibrium. (Maclnnes and Diaz 2009)
This present era can be identified as the era of liquid modernity, because it is neither the
modern era nor the postmodern era. Zygmunt Bauman’s, liquid modernity is an expression that
can down tread the idea of postmodernism, in the contemporary world every individual is driven
by desire, not by need: the reality is life counts what is fleeting rather than stable, the instant
rather than time -consuming; and considers the worth rather than value. Today the individual
relationships and the relationships with the society are constantly changing because the
identities, individuals and individuality are turning insignificant and void (Bauman 2005)

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Bauman, Z. 2005 . Liquid Life. Polity Press, pp.1-14.
Cohen, L.E. and Felson, M., 2016. Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity
Approach (1979). In Classics in Environmental Criminology (pp. 203-232). CRC Press.
Guo, C. and Saxton, G.D., 2014. Tweeting social change: How social media are changing
nonprofit advocacy. Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly, 43(1), pp.57-79.
Maclnnes, J. and Diaz, P. 2009. The New Blackwell Companion to Social Theory. 1st ed. Bryan
S. Turner, pp.328-350.

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SOCIAL MOVEMENT
Social change brought about by the accumulated efforts of the members of the society or
single-handedly by someone while promoting or resisting a particular social system is referred to
as social movement. Movements sometimes occur to bring about some modifications to the
existing system or to completely change the social orders (Sutherland, Land and Böhm 2014).
There are some uncertainties in the lifespan of a movement. It may continue for an extended
period, or it may end up soon. Social movements are often violent and unorganized which puts
the peace of the society at stake. Social unrest paves the ways for social movement. There are
several reasons behind a social movement such as cultural shift, social disorientation and
injustice and others (Goodwin and Jasper 2014).
With the expansion of civilization, an upsurge of different claims from different cultures
come into fore. Each group strives to get their ideas operated in the society which leads them to
engage in a movement for a fruitful result. Establishment of a separate community or state, the
abolition of untouchability, women empowerment and education, are the examples of cultural
shift. Goodwin and Jasper (2015) say that the inequality of development between rural and urban
parts of the society leaves the psychology of the unprivileged people frustrated. Losing their
sense of belongingness and inability to adjust to the new world instigates them to raise a social
movement. The feeling of injustice, done to them leaves them infuriated and rebellious towards
the social system. Social movements play a crucial role in because they make the people learn
about what is going on around them, what are the government policies, new technologies and
social trends. Sometimes, they serve as an inspiration for the invention of upgraded technologies
or new ways of applying the old ones (Olzak et al. 2016).

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Goodwin, J. and Jasper, J. 2015. The social movement reader: cases and concepts. 3rd ed. West
Sussex, UK: Wiley Blackwell, pp.175-183.
Goodwin, J. and Jasper, J.M. eds., 2014. The social movements reader: Cases and concepts. John
Wiley & Sons.pp. 3-7
Olzak, S., Soule, S.A., Coddou, M. and Munoz, J., 2016. Friends or foes? How social movement
allies affect the passage of legislation in the US congress. Mobilization: An International
Quarterly, 21(2), pp.213-230.
Sutherland, N., Land, C. and Böhm, S., 2014. Anti-leaders (hip) in Social Movement
Organizations: The case of autonomous grassroots groups. Organization, 21(6), pp.759-781.

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CLASS IN AUSTRALIA
The Communist Manifesto written by Marx and Engels (1848) describes that in every
present society there is a history of class distinction (Paternoster 2017). Rendering the general
notion people of every country are divided into various classes according to their income, job,
status, location, family history and many other factors from time immemorial. Australia is one of
those advanced countries who discard the harsh class systems and believe in the concept of an
‘egalitarian ‘country where the majority of the population calls themselves ‘middle class’
without any class discrimination. Marxist analogy considers that the level of productivity of a
particular community as a whole defines its class not the individual’s income or social status
(Owuamalam et al .2017). Nevertheless, there is a social hierarchy in Australia which includes
established affluent class, emerging affluent class, mobile middle class, established middle class
and established working class.
According to Friedman (2008) there are few divisions of classes. The established affluent
class is considered to be the highest class affluent in money and possession for generations. They
maintain high-class mannerisms, prestigious professions and illustrious educational qualification.
The second class is the emerging affluent class which includes mostly the younger generation
who have utilized their education at its best and secured a grand social and material standing.
People categorized under the third section that is the mobile middle-class section are not from
any elegant households but are educated with the best possible resources and have proper
qualifications to choose a good profession and earn their livelihood (Scott 2002). The established
middle-class people have a middle-class background for generations and live the ordinary

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middle-class lives without owning any property or estate. The lowest category is the established
working class with the lowest household income and lowest educational qualifications.
Friedman, K., 2008. Modernities, class, and the contradictions of globalization: the anthropology
of global systems. Altamira press.
Owuamalam, C.K., Rubin, M., Spears, R. and Weerabangsa, M.M.A., 2017. Why do people
from low‐status groups support class systems that disadvantage them? A test of two mainstream
explanations in Malaysia and Australia. Journal of Social Issues, 73(1), pp.80-98.
Paternoster, H., 2017. Reimagining Class in Australia: Marxism, Populism and Social Science.
Springer.
Scott, J., 2002. Social Class and Stratification in Late Modernity. Acta Sociologica, (45 (1),
pp.23-35.

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YOUTH SUBCULTURES IN AUSTRALIA TODAY
The term’ Youth Subculture ‘refers to the youth-centered subculture where young people
reject the class discrimination imposed on them by the society and build their own distinct
identity by conducting some subcultural activities. The study of subcultures has a long if
contested history in the social sciences. In Youth Cultures and Subcultures (2015) a variety of
Australian subcultures and Australian youth has been addressed. The work includes four
important sections (Jarness and Vegard 2017). Place, gender, theory and methods show hoe the
youths of Australia find a sense of identity and belongingness through such subcultures. Recently
the ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ (homosexuality in short) has been acknowledged by the Australian
government. In Sydney the Mardi Gras festival is the place where all kinds of uniqueness are
appreciated including all kinds of people with their choice of living.
Australian subcultures include ‘hip-hop,' ‘nightclubbing,' ‘roller derby, ‘DIY grrlpower'
and many others. Fashion, music, bike stunting, outer appearance is among the chosen fields
where subcultural activities can be best observed (Beck 2001). ‘Furry' is a type of Australian
subculture where grown people choose to roam around wearing furry animal suits. This suit can
symbolize many ideas. Some say that they are trying to know the animal inside them, some
perceive it as a step towards liberation from the shackles of impurity, and some denote it with a
slight of eroticism. Hells Angels Rebels, Comancheros, are the names of the most disreputable
bikie gangs in Australia. This subculture has the most number of members exceeding almost
4000. Bikie subculture strengthens the friendship and a sense of belonging to a community
(Woodman and Wyn 2015).

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Beck 2001. Individualization: Institutionalized individualism and its social and political
consequences. SAGE publication.
Jarness and Vegard 2017. Cultural vs Economic Capital: Symbolic boundaries within the middle
class. Sociology, (51(2), pp.357-373.
Woodman, D. and Wyn, J., 2015. Holding it all together: Researching time, culture and
belonging after ‘subcultures’. Youth Cultures and Subcultures: Australian Perspectives, pp.43-
52.
Wu, C.Y., Sung, S.F., Lee, S.Y. and Meng, C.H., 2015. Research on Subculture Phenomena of
the Participants in Pop Music Activities. source: International Journal of Science Commerce
and Humanities, (November 2015), pp.1-7.