Exam 1 Flashcards
What is at the base in the Marxist theoretical perspective?
The economy
What is in the superstructure of the Marxist theoretical perspective?
Morality, religion, politics
What are Flannery and Marcus’ types of society?
Egalitarian, achievement, rank, and kingdom
What is Flannery and Marcus’ egalitarian based society economy like?
Originated with Homo sapiens about 200,000 years ago, they were hunter-gatherers with low population density, and extended family groups (50-100 people). There is contact across groups. They live in an immediate return economy
What does immediate return economy mean?
No permanent settlements, thus little ability to accumulate wealth. All you can own is what you can carry. There is resource scarcity.
What is morality like in Flannery and Marcus’ egalitarian based society?
Strong social norms against greed. Occasional need to rely on the generosity of neighboring groups. Gift giving to create bonds with outsiders. Norms favor reciprocity, but never in excess of original gift
What is religion like in Flannery and Marcus’ egalitarian based society?
Religious hierarchy of alphas (divine beings), betas (ancestor spirits), and gammas (everyone else, the living). Shamans had specialized religious knowledge, but not exceptional status. Mythology told the story of the group; conveyed through art, song, dance; sense of superiority over outsiders, but accept differences
What were politics like in Flannery and Marcus’ egalitarian based society?
No state, decision making by consensus, and low inequality
What was the economy like in Flannery and Marcus’ achievement based society?
Originated with agriculture 20,000 years ago, agrarian, and delayed return economy
What was an agrarian economy like?
Moderate population density, clans (>100 people) as networking strategy (no necessary kin relation, induction via ritual, hazing)
What is a delayed return economy?
Permanent settlements, so capital investment required. Accumulate surplus via hard work, cooperation, pillage, wives, luck. Resource abundance (probably an overstatement)
What is morality like in Flannery and Marcus’ achievement based society?
Weakening of norms against greed, across tribes: status competition through feasts (outdo one another), formation of social hierarchies
What was the social hierarchy like in achievement based societies?
Big men and close kin; commoners; rubbish men
What was big man status like?
Multiple wives, clients, lending; leadership in the construction of the ritual men’s houses; leadership in relationship with outsiders
What was commoner status like?
Monogamous, but self sufficient
What was rubbish man status like?
Single, dependent, individual
What was religion like in Flannery and Marcus’ achievement based societies?
Clan membership requires initiation into myths and secrets; men’s house: where to learn myths and secrets, increasingly under the control of the big men; as complexity increases, knowledge stratifies into outer and inner circle, inner circle of big men and close kin, outer circle of commoners, and exclusion of rubbish men
What were politics like in Flannery and Marcus’ achievement based societies?
No state, decision making heavily influenced, but not controlled by big men, inequality is low-medium
What was the economy like in Flannery and Marcus’ rank based societies?
Originated with agriculture, about 10,000 years ago. Agrarian- but increasingly productive, and increasing population density
What was morality like in Flannery and Marcus’ rank based societies?
Status is based on rank, rank is hereditary (rank is based on genealogical distance from leader, family lineages are stratified: sharp separation between rulers and ruled, not based on individual achievement), class endogamy: marriage within ranks, to maintain status of kids
How does the shift from achievement to rank happen?
By pushing from the elites, with resistance from commoners. It is often unstable, reverts if elites are not well-entrenched, but it is never going to return to egalitarian societies, life in these societies is fragile and unstable, so difficult to maintain a dynasty
What is religion like in Flannery and Marcus’ rank based societies?
Temples replace ritual houses (God lives there), priests replace shamans (full-time specialists in religious knowledge, direct access to God, priests’ likely family of big men, over time, religious doctrine starts to favor the interests of the big men)
What are the politics of Flannery and Marcus’ rank based societies?
Across tribes: status competition between big men (claims of superiority of celestial spirits in rival genealogy, ownership of ritual authority and knowledge, including names, war as a means of status competition, rise of a specialized warrior class). Inequality is medium-high
What was the economy like in Flannery and Marcus’ kingdoms?
Originated about 5,000 years ago. Continued to be agrarian- with a continued increase in productivity and population, though very gradually. Regularized extraction of wealth from the lower classes.
How did regularized extraction of wealth from the lower classes work?
Taxation (money economy or percentage of grain due to the king), corvée labor (obligation to do labor for your lord, one day a week you are required to work the fields or do other types of labor for your lord, instead of for yourself). Bureaucratized extraction of wealth
What was the morality and religion like in Flannery and Marcus’ kingdoms?
The same as rank based societies, but increasingly institutionalized. Expansion of priests as a class of elites. Religious authority underpins leadership (“divine right” to rule, leaders claim to have magical powers, temples built for dead leaders, close merger between religious and political authority
What were the politics like in kingdoms (F&M)?
Competition between chiefs drives territorial expansionism (not just raids, but conquest, formation of kingdoms –> formation of empires), technological change (military, strategic, economic) favors one side long enough to conquer the rest, ethnic discrimination creates outsider underclass, high inequality (Your whole village is collectively better than the village you are conquering, and you are conquering to exploit the other village. Need for administration.
Why was there a need for administration in kingdoms (F&M)?
Collect taxes, manage corvée labor, organize and train for war (states make war, and war makes the state), build public works
What are the advantages to relying on kin as administrators?
Keep wealth and power concentrated, trust among close relatives, and importance of sacred lineage in belief systems
What are the disadvantages of using kin as administrators?
Kin are limited in number, incentive for usurpation, ability to create dependent clients among non-kin (you bestow power on a commoner far beyond your genetic status, and if you die, the commoner might get replaced, so they are invested in your survival
What is the outcome of kingdom politics (F&M)?
Rise in multiple levels of hierarchy, use of commoner clients for key positions, permanent administration (benefit of keeping previous commoners around), driven by necessities for waging war. Above all, state formation under authoritarianism.
Do F&M believe that authoritarianism is in our genes?
No, hunter gatherers maintained egalitarian norms for tens of thousands of years. But, status competition is in our genes. Hunter gatherers had to suppress status competition. Had to stop suppressing when agrarian. The ability of surpluses leads to status competition and social differentiation
Do Flannery and Marcus think authoritarianism is easy to create?
No, every increase in control is resisted. However, at a sufficiently high level of development it happens everywhere and it is easy to maintain
Do Flannery and Marcus believe that ideas matter, in terms of what kind of societies we get?
Yes, there is a role of morality/religion. But there are attempts to co-opt religious beliefs for gains. Priests and leaders’ mutual reinforcement. Morality/religion is shaped by the interests of the powerful
What is the unequal competence (exclusionary) justification for authoritarianism?
Human endowments vary, especially fitness to rule (monarchy/aristocracy, fascism), some people can naturally lead, some just can’t. Masses need temporary guardianship, paternalism (Leninism, colonialism)(Leninism: rule by a revolutionary vanguard)
What is the unequal stake (exclusionary) justification for authoritarianism?
Propertied elite have a greater stake in the system; shareholding
What is the unequal standing (exclusionary) justification for authoritarianism?
Enemies of the system must be excluded (Leninism), “the capitalists have shown themselves to be greedy, so they shouldn’t get our support”. Outsiders to the systems must be excluded (segregationist), apartheid, protestants v catholics in Ireland
What is the communitarian (egalitarian) justification for authoritarianism?
Organic unity is undermined by pluralism, which leads to selfish factionalism. We shouldn’t be fighting against ourselves, we need to work together, and cut out those who fight, therefore, we should cut out factions. Single partyism or anti-partyism.
What is the non-electoral (egalitarian) justification for authoritarianism?
Redefinition of democracy, one person one vote is not the essence of equality, democracy. Popular plebiscites (Bonapartism) or economic equality (communism). Bonapartism: votes on a ballot measure/policy, but not on who the leader is. Vote into office for life
Why do we focus on Europe in our studies?
First known democratic (non-authoritarian) states (Ancient Greece and the Roman Republic), first region to industrialize (first to transition beyond agricultural economy), first “modern” regime types (democracy, fascism, and communism), European imperialism affected regime development everywhere else
What is the ancient period of history?
3000 BCE-500 CE
What is the medieval period of history?
500-1500, begins with the fall of the Western Roman Empire
When is the early modern period?
1500-1800, begins with European discovery of Americas and Protestant Reformation
When is the modern period of history?
1800-present, begins with the French Revolution
How did medieval monarchies have inherited superiority?
Aristocrats/nobles descended from great warriors and leaders. They inherit the virtues of their ancestors. Rules of succession: those with the most inherited virtues are closest in line to the throne
How did medieval monarchies feel that social order was natural, God-given?
European kings: rule by divine right- no improvement of the world God gave us, so no social progress. The King was the King because God wanted them to be the King
What was the organic theory of the state, as espoused by medieval monarchies?
“Body politic” as a living being. Consists of specialized organs, need a head/spirit that is above politics, unifying. Everyone has a special place in this God-given politic (body)
What was the result of the trend of scientific advances and global exploration during the Enlightenment?
Secularization, resulting in a need for a higher purpose and a need for new rituals, mythology