Ch. 9: Political Organization and Social Control Flashcards
Ascribed status
The status a person has by virtue of birth
Authority
The power or right to give commands, take action, and make binding decisions
Band societies
The basic social units in many hunting-and-gathering societies;
Characterized by being based on kinship and having no permanent political structure
Caste
A group in a rigid system of social stratification in which membership is determined by birth and social mobility is nonexistent
Chiefdoms
An intermediate form of political organization in which integration is achieved through the office of chiefs
Class
A ranked group within a stratified society characterized by achieved status and considerable social mobility
Corporate lineages
Kinship groups whose members often live, work, play, and pray together
Council of Elders
A formal control mechanism composed of a group of elders who settle disputes among individuals in a society
Crime
Violent disputes between individuals or groups
Dalit
The politically correct term for those formerly called Untouchables in India
Deviance
The violation of social norms
Headless societies
Societies that have no political leaders, such as presidents, kings, or chiefs
Intermediaries
Mediators of disputes among individuals of families within a society
Law
Cultural rules that regulate human behavior and maintain order
Leopard-Skin Chief
An intermediary between a murderer’s family and the family of the victim;
Found among the Nuer of the Sudan
Moots
Informal airings of disputes involving kinsmen and friends of the litigants
Nation
A group of people who share a common symbolic identity, culture, history, and often religion
Negative sanctions
A mechanism of social control that enforces a society’s norms through punishments
Oath
A formal declaration to some supernatural power that what you are saying is truthful or that you are innocent
Ordeal
A dangerous test used to determine guilt
Pan-Tribal mechanisms
Mechanisms such as clans, age grades, and secret societies found in tribal societies the cut across kinship lines and integrate all the local segments of the tribe into a larger whole
Political integration
The process that brings disparate people under the control of a single political system
Positive sanctions
A mechanism of social control that enforces a society’s norms through rewards
Public opinion
Social pressure;
What the general public thinks about some issue;
When public opinion is brought to bear on an individual, it can influence his or her behavior
Rebellion
Attempts to displace the people in power
Revolution
Attempts to overthrow the entire system of government
Sanctions
Any means used to enforce compliance with the rules and norms of a society
Social control
Mechanisms found in all societies that encourage people not to violate the social norms
Social mobility
The ability of people to change their social position within a society
Social norms
What a society considers to be normal, proper, or expected ways of behaving
Socialization
The process of teaching young people the norms in a society
Song duel
A derisive song contest, fought with song and lyrics rather than with weapons
Specialized political roles
Specific tasks expected of a person or group, such as law enforcement, tax collection, dispute settlement, recruitment of labor, and protection from outside invasions
State
A particular type of political structure distinct from a band, tribal society, or chiefdom
State system of government
A bureaucratic, hierarchical form of government composed of various echelons of political specialists
Supernatural belief systems
Belief in supernatural forces such as gods, witches, and sorcerers
Tribal societies
Small-scale societies composed of autonomous political units with common linguistic and cultural features
Varnas
Caste groups in Hindu India that are associated with certain occupations
Witchcraft
The use of inborn, involuntary, and often unconscious powers to cause harm to other people
Achieved status
The status an individual attains during the course of her or his lifetime
