Which sociologist first recognized social dynamics as an underlying component of historical development?

Ma Tuan-Li (Mă Duānlín) was Chinese historical writer, encyclopedist and the first sociologist who recognized social dynamics as an underlying component of historical development in his seminal encyclopedia “General Study of Literary Remains” (“Wenxian tongkao”) in XIII century. He served the Yuan dynasty and played an important role in reviving the educational system of China, considering knowledge of institutional history necessary to the Confucian official as knowledge of the Confucian Classics.

manifest functions are the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern, while latent functions are those unrecognized and unintended consequences. to analyze the manifest functions of any social institution, we have to study its contribution to the continuation of a group, community, or society.