Political Life: Social Order& Disorder

Question 1

Name four principal types of political organization of societies

Answer 1

Ranging from less to more centralized:
Societies that used to be organized at the band, tribe, or chiefdom level are now incorporated into larger political entities. Not bands, tribes or chiefdom anymore in the world.

1. Bands
2. Tribes
3. Chiefdom
4. States

Question 2

Band

Answer 2

• A fairly small, usually nomadic local group that is politically autonomous.
• All societies before the development of agriculture. Sometimes as small as a family.
• Occupies a large territory, so population density is low -less than 100 people.
• Often varies by season, band breaking up or recombining according to food resources available.
• Political decision making within the band = informal
• informal headman
• Example: Inuits

Question 3

Headman

Answer 3

A person who holds a powerless but symbolically unifying position in a community within an egalitarian society; may exercise influence but has no power to impose sanctions.

Question 4

Tribal organization

Answer 4

= A territorial population in which there are kin or nonkin groups (clans or lineages) with representatives in a number of local groups.

• kinship = basic framework of social organization
• age sets are important, elderly have more influence
• generally are food producers
• extensive (shifting) agriculture and/or herding
• mostly act autonomous
• tribal society might be linked only occasionally for some political (usually military) purpose.
• multilocal integration
• not permanent
• informal (no political officials who head the tribe)
• only when an outside threat arises, if gone: self-sufficiency
• tendency to be egalitarian

Question 5

Tribal organization

Answer 5

The kind of political organization in which local communities mostly act autonomously but there are kin groups (such as clans) or associations (such as age-sets) that can temporarily integrate a number of local groups into a larger unit.