Progress and Development Flashcards
Social Organization
Bands
Tribes
Chiefdoms
States
Bands
Egalitarian units of social organization, found mostly among foragers. Usually consists of fewer than 100 people (Robbins et al., 2017)
all social relationships based on kinship
least complex form of political organization
decisions made through consensus
no fixed leadership, only informal recognition of prowess
Tribes
tribal system consists of separate bands or villages
integrated through lineages, clans, age grades, or other associations cross-cutting kinship and territory
associated with farming or herding subsistence strategies
greater population density
No centralized leadership
Chiefdom
A regional polity in which one or more local groups are organized under a single ruling individual – the chief – who is at the head of a ranked hierarchy of people
determined by closeness to chief
Office of chief often hereditary
States
The most formal of political organizations and is one of the hallmarks of civilization
political power is centralized in a government which may LEGITIMATELY use force to regulate the affairs of its citizens
States Associated with
increased food production (agriculture and industry), increased population, market system
appearance of cities developed urban sector
appearance of bureaucracy
military
usually an official religion
authority is formal and impersonal
Un-Centralized Society
Band / Tribe
Power in hands of many
Centralized Society
Chiefdoms / State
Power in the hands of few
Nomadic
A mode of livelihood characterized by moving from place to place, often following animals and/or weather patterns
Sedentary
A mode of livelihood characterized by permanent or semi-permanent settlements
What is Progress?
The idea that human history is the story of a steady advance from a life dependent on the whims of nature to a life of control and domination over natural forces (Robbins et al., 2017)
Unilineal evolution
Theory of social evolution which posited that all societies go through a series of standardized stages of change (Robbins et al., 2017)
Evolutionary Anthropology
Natural Selection
Anthropologists mistakenly applied Darwin’s ideas to social change instead of biological change
Positioned Western societies at the end of the line of “progress”
Lewis Henry Morgan
7 stages of social development
Lower savagery, middle savagery, upper savagery, lower barbarism, middle barbarism, upper barbarism, civilization
Leslie White
Technological development = cultural progress
Hunter-Gatherer Societies
More leisure time
Women gathered the majority of the food (~80%)
Lots of food for minimal work
Population density
the number of people in a given area (Robbins et al., 2017)
Carrying capacity
the number of people a given area of land can provide for
Attributes of more socially complex hunter-gatherer societies:
high population densities in circumscribed territories
intensification and diversification of food resources
food storage and preservation
permanent or at least semi-permanent settlements often with associated cemeteries
highly developed tools and methods
division of labor not only
by sex and age, but also by occupation
some form of social ranking
Exchange
more elaborate ritual beliefs
Intensification
manipulating food abundance to increase carrying capacity
e.g., Swidden agriculture
Intentional reseeding
Irrigation
Domestication
genetic modification of plants and animals so that they are permanently altered relative to wild counterparts.
Taming
taking a wild plant or animal and raising it in a domestic situation
Progress as a concept
Transformation from foraging to complex agriculture do not automatically represent progress
Technological advances
1 calorie of human energy needed to produce 210 calories of food in Canada and US
1 calorie of human energy for every 10 calories gathered by foragers
However….1 calorie of non human energy (fossil fuels) to produce 8 calories of food in Canada and the US
Wealth Inequality
Is progress the reason for increased wealth in “developed” countries?
Colonialism
Marked by genocide of Indigenous peoples around the world
Forcing
European/Western systems of government, economics, and religion on colonized groups
Exploitative relationship between colonizer and colonized
One of the main roots of contemporary global wealth inequality
World Economics
China was richest country in the world during 16-17th centuries
Colonialism of South America funneled money to China
Africa and Southeast Asia had major trade routes
England was mostly rural and agricultural
Putting out system
a means of production where manufacturers or merchants supply materials and tools to workers who produce the goods in their own homes (Robbins et al., 2017)
Industrial Revolution
A period of European history marked by a shift in production from agriculture to industrial goods, urbanization, and the factory system (Robbins et al., 2017)
Factory system
system of production characterized by the concentration of labor and machines in specific places
Important part of the Industrial Revolution
Exploitative Growth
Forcing colonies to import merchandise from the colonizers
Military action against countries that resist
Slavery
Trail of Tears
Economic Development
Push for “developing” countries to advance technology and Westernize
Foreign assistance for “developing” countries
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
Develop = Westernize
Modern Medicine
Replacing traditional medical techniques with the biomedical model
Life expectancy doubled over the 20th century – from 30 – 63 years
Antibiotics, modern diagnostic methods and equipment (CT scans, MRIs, X-ray, ultrasound, etc)
Biomedical model
views the body as a machine that must be repaired, independent of social context (Robbins et al., 2017)
Negative Consequences of Biomedical Model
Increased waste and toxic contaminants
Increased risks for people of lower socioeconomic status
Lack of universal access to medicine
Interpersonal Theory of Disease
a view of disease in which it is assumed that illness is caused by tensions or conflicts in social relations (Robbins et al., 2017)
What is Progress?
The idea that human history is the story of a steady advance from a life dependent on the whims of nature to a life of control and domination over natural forces
Colonialism
Marked by genocide of Indigenous peoples around the world
Forcing
European/Western systems of government, economics, and religion on colonized groups
Exploitative relationship between colonizer and colonized
One of the main roots of contemporary global wealth inequality
World Economics
China was richest country in the world during 16-17th centuries
Colonialism of South America funneled money to China
Africa and Southeast Asia had major trade routes
England was mostly rural and agricultural
Putting out system
a means of production where manufacturers or merchants supply materials and tools to workers who produce the goods in their own homes
Industrial Revolution
A period of European history marked by a shift in production from agriculture to industrial goods, urbanization, and the factory system (Robbins et al., 2017)
Standardization of production
Mass-produced goods
Accumulation of wealth becomes a measure of success and morality
Transformed England into the wealthiest country in the world
Factory system
system of production characterized by the concentration of labor and machines in specific places
important part of the industrial revolution
Exploitative Growth
Forcing colonies to import merchandise from the colonizers
Military action against countries that resist
Slavery
Trail of Tears
Economic Development
Push for “developing” countries to advance technology and Westernize
Foreign assistance for “developing” countries
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
Develop = Westernize
