Ch. 6: Political Systems

Question 1

power

Answer 1

the ability to exercise one’s will over others

Question 2

authority

Answer 2

the formal, socially approved use of power, example: by government officials

Question 3

band

Answer 3

a small, kin based group found among foragers

Question 4

tribes

Answer 4

typically have economies based on horticulture & pastoralism

Question 5

chiefdom

Answer 5

refers to a form of sociopolitical organization intermediate between the tribe & the state

Question 6

differential access

Answer 6

unequal access to resources; basic attribute of chiefdoms & states

Question 7

state

Answer 7

a form of sociopolitical organization based on formal government structure & socioeconomic stratification

Question 8

sociopolitical typology

Answer 8

a classification scheme based on the scale & complexity of social organization & the effectiveness of political regulation
- includes band, tribe, chiefdom, state

Question 9

conflict resolution

Answer 9

methods of settling disputes; found in all societies, but the resolution methods tend to be more formal & effective in states than in nonstates

Question 10

norms

Answer 10

cultural standards or guidelines that enable individuals to distinguish between appropriate & inappropriate behavior in a given society

Question 11

law

Answer 11

a legal code, including trial & enforcement; characteristic of state organized sociteties

Question 12

Village head

Answer 12

always a man; chosen based on personal characteristics & support he can muster from fellow villagers

Question 13

big man

Answer 13

almost always a male; an elaborate version of the village head, but w/one significant difference: unlike the village head, whose leadership is limited to one village, the big man had supporters in several villages

Question 14

pantribal sodalities

Answer 14

groups that extend across the whole tribe, spanning several villages

Question 15

office

Answer 15

a permanent position in a political structure; must be refilled when it is vacated

Question 16

wealth

Answer 16

economic status; encompasses a person’s material assets, including income, land, & other types of property

Question 17

prestige

Answer 17

the basis of social status; refers to esteem, respect, or approval for acts, deeds, or qualities considered exemplary

Question 18

superordinate

Answer 18

the upper, or privileged, group in a stratified system

Question 19

subordinate

Answer 19

the lower, or underprivileged , group in a stratified system

Question 20

fiscal

Answer 20

financial mechanisms used to support the government apparatus & agents

Question 21

social control

Answer 21

refers to “those fields of the social system (beliefs, practices, institutions) that are most actively involved in the maintenance of any norms & the regulation of any conflict

Question 22

hegemony

Answer 22

for a stratified social order in which subordinates comply with domination by internalizing their ruler’s values & accepting the naturalness of domination (this is, the way things are meant to be)