Ch. 9 (political organization) - Final Flashcards
three dimensions or political organization
- extent to which political organization are distinct from social structure
- Extent to authority is concentrated
- Level of political integration
Types of political organization
- centralized vs. non centralized (headless or acephalous structures)
- band societies
- tribal societies
- chiefdoms
- states
band societies
Informal leadership style
- least complex, small nomadic (30-50 people)
- high value on sharing/kinship based
- common in hunting/gathering societies
- conflcits are minimal
Example: Ju/’hoansi of the Kalahari
tribal societies
Informal leadership style
- small scale, composed of autonomous political units sharing common linguistic and cultural features
- horticulturalist and pastoralists
- larger populations, age grades, clans, secret societies
Example: Samburu of Kenya
chiefdoms
Single leader, may have advisory council - Chiefships are hereditary
- integration of other communities
- immediate kin are social and political elite
- larger, specialized population
- economic reditribution
Example: Precolonial Hawaiian system
states
Single leader
- supra-kinship (membership is based on residency/ citizenship)
- hierarchical
- most formal and complex
- Authority - state holds exclusive right to use force and physical coercion
Example: Roman Empire, modern: Canada, Germany, USA
acheived status
status acquired (class systems)
ascribed status
status person has by virtue of birth (caste systems)
social mobility
the change in social class
- class: individual can change
- caste: individual has no social mobility
class
segment of the population where members share similar lifestyles and levels of wealth, power and prestige
caste
caste rank their members according to birth (economic issues, workload) - cannot change, you are born into it
Dalit
example of a caste society - the lowest of the low (“untouchables”)
nation
a group of people who share common symbolic identity, culture and symbols, history and often religion
state
type of political structure distinct from a band, tribal society or chiefdom
nation-state
a group of people sharing a common cultural background and unified political structure
social control
- social norms
- deviance
- sanctions
social norms
normal, proper or expected ways of behaving
deviance
a violation of social norms
sanctions
(positive and negative), institutionalized ways of encouraging people to conform to the norms
mechanisms of control in all societies
- socialization
- public opinion
- gossip/rumour
- ostracism
socialization
teaching young people of the norms in a society
public opinion
what general public believes
supernatural beleif systems
set of beliefs in forces that transcend the natural, observable world ie. witchcraft
small scale societies - mechanisms of control
- corporate lineages
- song duels
- interdemiaries
- moots
- council of elders
- oath
- ordeal
corporate lineages
members engage in daily activities together (eat, live, sleep)
song duels
a fight fought with song - determining ones guilt or innocence
state societies - mechanisms of control
- laws (legal statutes)
- policing
- customary law vs. western law
moots
informal hearings to solve conflicts - involve council of elders
intermediaries
mediators to solve conflict
oath
supernatural bear witness to the truth someone says
ordeal
painful/life threatening test inflicted on someone suspected of wrong doing
laws
cultural rules that regulate human behaviour and maintain order
rebellion
attempt to disrupt the status quo and redistribute power/resources
revolution
overthrow existing form of political organization
customary law vs. western law
major issue during colonialization - ie. colonies under control of the british, belgian, french etc. were forced to adopt different laws
anthropology and the military
- least collaboration with the military
- lack of cross-cultural knowledge in the military
- US military now employing anthropologists
ethical issue with anthropology and the military
Should anthropologists help the military? Of course it is better that the military understand the local people better////but at what cost? Anthropologists may become larger roles in regards to shaping foreign policy
