Liberal and Radical Approaches in Zambia

The main argument of this essay is to compare and contrast the liberal and radical approaches to social change. Accompanied by practical examples, I will state and re-enforce the theoretical approach that plausibly explains the prevailing circumstances in Zambia. This essay will begin by defining briefly what the liberal and radical approaches are; also it will explain what is understood by the term social change. It is also necessary to point out that I have taken a stand on agreeing that the liberal approach takes a crediblestance in explaining the prevailing circumstances in Zambia. In this essay I will explain how this is and compare and contrast it with the radical approach.
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society, or as movement of human society from lower stages to higher stages. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means (Harper, 1993: 13). It may refer to a model change in the socio-economic structure, for instance a shift away from feudalism and towards capitalism. According to Giddens (2000: 32), social change is defined as the alteration of mechanisms within the social structure characterized by changes in cultural symbols, rules of behavior, social organizations, or value systems. He goes on to say that ‘broad social trends like shifts in population, urbanization, industrialization and bureaucratization, can lead to significant social change.’ Giddens principally associated social change with modernization were society moves according to stages from a traditional society upwards to a more advanced stage were technological advances are prominent in industries (Rostow’s stages of economic growth).
The liberal approach (also known as liberalism) is an ideology that places emphasis on individual property rights, human rights and liberal democracy. For example, the protests at the Berlin Wall in 1989 that