Political Organization and the Maintenance of Order- Text Flashcards
What are complex centralized political structures a product of?
mainly the 17th and 18th centuries
What does the term “political organization” refer to?
The way power is distributed and embedded in a cultural group, whether it involves organizing a net hunt of passing legislation. In other words, political organization is linked to the way power is used to coordinate and regulate behaviour so that order is maintained.
True or False: Some form of political organization exists in all human groups.
True
What are the 4 basic kinds of political systems?
uncentralized bands and tribes, and centralized chiefdoms and states
What are uncentralized political systems?
In many non-Western cultural groups, marriage and kinship form the principal means of social organizations
What are the economies of uncentralized political systems? What about population?
The economies of these groups are of a subsistence type and populations are typically quite small
Describe the leader of a uncentralized political system? What about people not conforming?
Leaders do not have the power to force compliance with the society’s customs or laws, but if individual members do not conform, they may become the target of scorn and gossip of even be ostracized.
Describe how important decisions are made a uncentralized political system?
Important decisions are usually made in a democratic manner by a consensus of adults, often including women s well as men; dissenting members may decide to act with the majority, or they may choose to adopt some other course of action, if they are willing to risk the social consequences.
True or False: a uncentralized political system provides great flexibility, which in many situations confers an adaptive advantage.
True
What is a band?
A small group of related households occupying a particular region who gather periodically but do not yield their sovereignty to the larger collective.
Whom are bands found among/
Bands are found among foragers, hungers, and other nomadic groups
How do bands organize themselves politically?
Politically autonomous extended-family groups
How may bands be characterized?
Bands may be characterized as associated of related families who occupy a common (often vaguely defined) territory and who live there together for as long as environmental and subsistence circumstances are favourable.
What is the oldest form of political organization?
The band is the oldest form of political organization, since all humans once were hunters and gathers.
Why is conflict reduced in bands>
- egalitarian groups
- the potential for conflicts to develop is much reduced
How are disputes settled in bands?
Informally through gossip, ridicule, direct negotiation, or meditation. For conflict resolution, the emphasis is placed on community healing rather than punishment.
How are decisions made in a band?
Decisions affecting a band are made with the participation of all adult members, with an emphasis on achieving consensus rather than a simply majority.
What is consensus?
A general agreement among adult members of a group.
What is leadership based on in a band?
Leadership is based on ability, and leaders maintain their position only as long as they retain the community’s confidence.
What is an example of a band?
Ju / ‘hoansi
Describe a leader in the Ju / ‘hoansi society.
The leader, called the kxau, or “owner,” is the focal point for the band’s theoretical ownership of the territory. That leader, male or female, symbolically personifies the rights of band members to ownership.
What is an important technique for resolving disputes in bands?
Mobility. Those who are unable to get along with others of their group simply “vote with their feet” and move to another group where kinship ties give them entry rights.
What is a tribe?
A group of nominally independent communities occupying a specific region and sharing a common language and culture integrated by some unifying factor.
Describe the tribal system.
A tribal system is one that involves separate bands or villages integrated by factors such as kinship and clans. People are united into communities or age grades or associations that crosscut kinship or territorial boundaries.
What do those who belong to tribes have to sacrifice?
Sacrifice a degree of household autonomy to a larger-order group in return for greater security against enemy attacks or starvation.
What is the economy of a tribe typically based on?
Economy based on some form of farming or herding, lending to tribal membership being larger than band membership as these production methods usually yield more food than foraging does.
What does each tribe consist of?
Each tribe consists of two or more small, autonomous local communities, which may form alliances with one another for various purposes.
What is tribal political organization?
Informal and temporary
Describe leadership among tribes?
Leadership among tribes is informal. A local leader among the Blackfoot, for example, was a man respected for his wisdom and hunting prowess. They do not have formal means of control.
How are decisions made in tribes?
Groups decisions were made by public consensus.
What induced members of a tribe to abide by group decisions?
Gossip, criticism, withdrawal of cooperation,and the belief that antisocial actions caused disease.
What is the “Big Man” in the tribal leadership of the Melanesian?
The Big Man combines a small amount of interest in his tribe’s welfare with a great deal of self-interested cunning and calculation for his own gain. His status is the result of acts that a raise him above most other tribe members and that attract him to a band of loyal followers.
How must one achieve the status of leader in a tribe?
To achieve this status, one must be male, wealthy, generous, and eloquent; physical bravery and skill in dealing with the supernatural are two other frequent characteristics. The possession of wealth must be coupled with the trait of generosity, the willingness to make loans.
How des a leader acquire his political power in a tribe?
Through the loans he makes, he acquires his political power. Other villagers comply with his requests because their win his debt.
What is the organizing unit and seat of political authority in many tribal groups?
the clan – that is, an association of people who believe themselves to share a common ancestry.
What is the segmentary lineage system?
A form of political organization in which a large group is broken up into clans, which are further divided into lineages. It is a form of tribal kinship bond. This system is similar in operation to the clan, but it is less extensive and is relatively rare.
What is political organization like among segmentary lineage systems?
Political organization among segmentary lineages is usually informal, although older tribal members may exercise some personal authority.
How many clans exist among the Nuer, who number about 200 000 people? Describe.
- at least 20 clans exist
- each is patrilineal and is segmented into maximal lineages; each of these is in turn segmented into major lineages, which are segmented into minor lineages, which in turn are segmented into minimal lineages
Describe lineage segments among the Nuer.
Lineage segments among the Nuer are all equal The lineage’s superstructure is merely an alliance and becomes active only during conflicts between any of the minimal segments.
What is the system of political organization among the Nuer known as?
complementary or balanced opposition
How are disputes among the Nuer (which are frequent) settled?
Any resulting social disruption is minimized by the actions of the “leopard-skin chief,” who is not really a chief, but rather a holder of a ritual conciliation office. The leopard-skin chief has no political power and is viewed as standing outside the lineage network.
What do age-grade systems provide a tribe with?
A means of political integration beyond the kind group. Youths are initiated into an age grade and pass from one age grade to another at a appropriate ages.
In bands and tribes, authority is uncentralized and each group is___and___autonomous
- economically
- politically
What is political organization vested in in bands and tribes?
kinship, age, and common-interest groups
True or False: In bands and tribes populations are small and relatively homogeneous, with people engaged mostly in the same sorts of activities throughout their lives
True
What happens as populations increase, technology becomes more complex, and trade networks and labour specialization produces a surplus of goods in uncentralized political systems?
The opportunity for some individuals or groups to exercise control increases
How is political power organized in a centralized system?
In such groups, political authority and power are concentrated in a single individual–the chief–or in a body of individuals–the state.
Where is the state found?
The state is found in societies where each individual must interact on a regular basis with large numbers of people whose interests are diverse and who are neither kin nor close acquaintances.
What is a chiefdom?
A regional polity in which two or more local groups are organized under a single chief, who is at the head of a ranked hierarchy of people.
Describe the office of the chief.
The office of the chief is usually hereditary, passing from a man to his own or his sister’s son. The chief is generally a true authority figure, and his authority unites his people in all affairs and at all times.
