Global Social Change: A New Agenda for Social Science?

That the world is undergoing a major transformation in social consciousness is now widely accepted. Never before has the world been witness to so many thousands of attempts by individuals and transnational organizations to combat age-old social ills such as hunger, poverty, disease, lack of education, human rights abuses, armed conflict, and environmental degradation. The 1990's will be known as the decade of global social innovation, and whoever chronicles that decade will see clearly what we perceive only dimly now. The emergence of global social consciousness has, in turn, produced new forms of human relationships and organizing activities. These relationships and activities may prove to be important to understand as the social sciences attempt to keep pace with the rapid changes occurring in our global society. This paper outlines some of the challenges and opportunities that will face social scientists should they choose to enter this new domain.