Society 1 Flashcards
What is the “sociological imagination” (Giddens, 1982)?
It is a way of looking at our experiences in
light of what is going on in the social world around us.
A lens to view personal experiences in the context of broader social forces (e.g., how unemployment reflects economic policies).
Key Term: “Linking biography to history.
How does Calhoun et al. (1994) define a society?
An autonomous group sharing:
◾Territory
◾Culture (values, customs)
◾Routinized interactions (e.g., roles like “teacher/student”).
Example: Caribbean nations as societies with shared colonial history.
How do classical sociologists (Comte, Marx, Spencer) view society as a system?
System Perspective:
◾Society is bounded and integrated (e.g., institutions like family, economy interact).
Dynamic Evolution:
◾Comte: Progress through stages (theological → scientific).
◾Marx: Class struggle drives change (e.g., feudalism → capitalism).
◾Spencer: Societies evolve like organisms toward complex industrial structures.
Key Source: Swingwood (1991) emphasizes this historical, inevitable progression.
Example:
Industrialization transforming Caribbean agrarian societies into service-based economies.
List 4 key features of a society.
- Large population group.
- Shared culture (e.g., Jamaican Patois).
- Defined territory (e.g., Trinidad’s borders).
- Identity/belonging (e.g., Carnival as national pride).
What 3 traits further define societies?
- Common origin/history (e.g., slavery legacy).
- Shared language (e.g., English/Creole).
- Autonomy but interdependence (e.g., CARICOM trade).
Example: East Indians in Trinidad preserving Hindi alongside English.
Name the 5 periods of Caribbean societal development.
1) Indigenous (Arawaks/Caribs).
2) Spanish colonization.
3) European power struggles.
4) Slavery/plantation economy.
5) East Indian indentureship.
Exam Tip: Chronological order is often tested.
Describe Arawak society before colonization.
Skilled in fishing, cassava farming, pottery, and communal festivals. Peaceful but vulnerable to European aggression.
Key Fact: No resistance to Spanish conquest.
How did Carib society differ from the Arawaks?
More decentralized governance, aggressive, and resistant to Europeans (e.g., fought colonization).
Contrast: Arawaks = farmers; Caribs = warriors.
What were the impacts of Spanish rule in the Caribbean?
◾Encomienda system: Enslaved Indigenous peoples.
◾Cultural erasure but linguistic remnants (e.g., “Barbados” from Los Barbudos).
◾Catholic Church dominance (e.g., Hispanic territories’ unified religion).
Key Term: “Ecocide” (environmental destruction).
Summarize slavery’s impact on Caribbean society.
◾5 million Africans forcibly brought (Rogozinski, 1992).
◾By 1750, 90% of Caribbean population enslaved.
◾Legacy: Racial stratification, cultural syncretism (e.g., Afro-Caribbean religions).
Stat: 300+ years of slavery.
Why were East Indians brought to the Caribbean post-slavery?
To replace labor on sugar plantations; seen as “docile” and suited to tropical farming.
Key Issue: Isolation from broader society (e.g., preserved Hinduism/Islam).
Name the 3 major theories of Caribbean society.
Plantation Society (Beckford, 1972).
Plural Society (M.G. Smith).
Creole Society (Brathwaite).
Exam Focus: Compare/contrast these theories.
According to George Beckford (1972), what are the defining characteristics of a plantation society, and what criticisms exist of this theory?
1) Economic Structure:
◾Dominated by mono-crop cultivation (e.g., sugar in Jamaica, tobacco in Barbados)
◾Designed for export-oriented production with little local processing
◾Prices determined by international markets beyond Caribbean control
2)Social Hierarchy:
◾Rigid race/color stratification:
▪White plantation owners at top
▪Enslaved Africans (later indentured workers) at bottom
▪Mixed-race “brown” middle class as intermediaries
◾Persisted post-emancipation through social institutions
3) Political Dependency:
◾Controlled by foreign capital (European then North American)
◾Local elites maintained colonial power structures
◾Weak peasant class development due to land monopolies
4) Cultural Impacts:
◾Preference for imported goods over local products
◾External technology dependence
◾Eurocentric cultural values institutionalized
Key Criticism (Craig, 1982):
◾Overemphasizes economic determinism
◾Fails to account for:
▪Post-emancipation peasant movements
▪20th century industrial diversification
▪Growing nationalist consciousness
Example from PDF:
Beckford’s view that 20th century Caribbean remained “modeled along plantation lines” contrasts with Brathwaite’s creolization theory showing cultural innovation.
According to M.G. Smith’s Plural Society Theory, how is Caribbean society structured, and what are the key criticisms of this model?
1) Core Definition:
◾Caribbean societies consist of distinct cultural sections (White, Black, East Indian, Chinese)
◾Each group maintains its own:
▪Family structures (e.g., nuclear vs. extended)
▪Religious institutions (Christianity vs. Hinduism/Islam)
▪Cultural practices (e.g., Carnival vs. Hosay)
**2) Limited Integration:
**
◾Groups interact primarily in the economic sphere (marketplace)
◾No shared “basic institutions” beyond commercial transactions
◾Example: Trinidad’s ethnic groups coexisting but maintaining separate traditions
Key Features:
◾Cultural pluralism persists due to:
▪Segregated colonial policies
▪Post-emancipation indentureship patterns
▪Voluntary cultural preservation
4) Criticisms:
◾Brathwaite (1960):
▪All societies have some pluralism
▪Overlooks shared “universal-achievement values” (e.g., education aspirations)
▪Example: Trinidadians of all backgrounds participating in Carnival
◾Carl Stone (1973):
▪Class/economic status matters more than cultural divisions
▪Jamaican survey showed stronger class identity than ethnic identity
Key Quote from PDF:
“Smith explains that in plural societies, there are alternative and exclusive institutions…the basic institutions are not shared.”
How did Carl Stone’s 1973 empirical study fundamentally challenge M.G. Smith’s Plural Society Theory of Caribbean social structure?
1) Materialist Critique:
◾Found social divisions stemmed primarily from economic inequalities (income, occupation) rather than cultural differences
◾Demonstrated Jamaicans self-identified by class (upper/middle/working/lower) rather than ethnic categories
2) Key Findings:
◾72% of survey respondents prioritized class over race/ethnicity in social positioning
◾Economic mobility created more fluid social boundaries than Smith’s rigid cultural sections
◾Shared aspirations for education/homeownership crossed ethnic lines
3) Theoretical Implications:
◾Challenged Smith’s claim that institutions weren’t shared:
▪Public schools served all groups
▪Labor unions united workers across ethnicities
◾Showed economic systems (capitalism) created common experiences
4) Caribbean Context:
◾Post-independence industrialization blurred traditional divisions
◾New professional classes emerged across ethnic groups
◾Example: Jamaican business elites including both Black and Syrian-Jamaican entrepreneurs
Key Quote from PDF:
“Respondents saw themselves as belonging to ‘classes’…the differences are related to income and resources.”
According to Edward Kamau Brathwaite’s Creole Society Theory, how does creolization explain Caribbean cultural development, and what are its limitations?
1) Core Concept:
◾Creolization describes the cultural synthesis between European colonizers and enslaved Africans that produced new, distinct Caribbean identities
◾Represents both:
▪Destruction of indigenous cultures
▪Creation of hybrid forms (language, religion, music)
Key Processes:
◾Acculturation:
▪Forced adoption of European norms (e.g., Christianity replacing African religions)
▪Power dynamic: “White dominance/Black subservience” (PDF p.23)
◾Interculturation:
▪Mutual exchange creating syncretic forms:
▪Language: Patois (French/African blends)
▪Music: Calypso (African rhythms + European instruments)
▪Food: Callaloo (African/Indian/European ingredients)
3) Historical Context:
◾Emerged during slavery but accelerated post-emancipation
◾Originally focused on Black/White dynamics (PDF p.24)
◾Later expanded to include limited Asian influences
4) Criticisms:
◾ Eurocentric focus: Overemphasizes African-European fusion
◾ Marginalizes:
▪ East Indian contributions (e.g., Hosay in Trinidad)
▪ Chinese influences (e.g., Caribbean-Chinese cuisine)
▪ Indigenous survivals (e.g., Carib craft traditions)
◾Static view: Underestimates ongoing creolization processes
Key Quote from PDF:
“Creolisation is reinforced by a paradigm of white dominance and black subservience…a colour/class hierarchy.” (p.23)
Comparisons:
- Plantation vs. Plural:
Both see fragmentation (economic/cultural), but Beckford blames colonialism’s economics, while Smith focuses on cultural divisions.
- Plural vs. Creole:
Smith claims groups remain separate; Brathwaite argues they blended into something new.
- Plantation vs. Creole:
Beckford’s isolation vs. Brathwaite’s creativity—e.g., enslaved people forged new cultures despite plantation oppression.
