[Home] [Back]

Changing History: A Panel Discussion On Election 2008

Dr.Winston Langley's Comments on Change :

In order to measure change, in advent of the Obama presidency, we must define what change means. It is very easy to focus on what may be called “palace” change, where one simply replaces one person by another (often from the same social class) in a position. This is change, but it is usually very superficial.

We could refer to “political” change, where one from a given social class is replaced by a leader from another class, and some modifications in the way political action and processes take place are modified (we can have, for example, recruitment of more persons from the new leader’s social class to positions of decision-making). The structures of the society, however, remain the same.

We could also refer to “social” change, where the change is not only in the matter of one social class replacing another, but a focus on changing the underlying structures of society—structures of labor, family, enlightenment (education), healthcare, credit, ownership, information (who controls and interprets), rituals (what and who are celebrated and what values are emphasized). A simple change in how credit is handled, for example, could fundamentally alter how the society develops, especially in urban areas. Micro-credit institutions could remove most of poverty from our midst; it would also revolutionize some areas of business. If a major change in the structure of credit were taken, it could not be done piece-meal; it would have to be bold and determined.

So what do we mean by change?

Winston Langley, Interim Provost
UMass Boston

[Home] [Back]