Understanding and Studying Social Transformation in Africa

Abstract

<> Interest about Social Transformation is on the increase in academic circles, but also among practitioners of human development, policy making, health and other disciplines. This paper wishes to offer a bird eye view of the birth and development of the notion of Social Transformation. It also tackles the issue of religion as a factor in this process. Particular attention is given to the Social Teaching of the church as evidence of religious bodies’ attention to critique from social sciences. A section on methodological considerations suggests that the study of Social Transformation should be empirical but also conceptual. This paper is an attempt at conceptualising Social Transformation with particular attention to the African context.