Society

Society and Identity Society is the way groups of people have organized themselves to live together; for example, in bands, tribes, chiefdoms, or villages. Societies change when economic and environmental conditions change, and they can exist at various levels: locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Early humans lived in hunter-gatherer societies. By 7000 BCE, many humans lived in agricultural societies. Today, most people still live in agricultural societies, while some live in urban societies.

Society and Identity The people in a society share a number of things in common, including identity. They may identify with their country and call themselves Canadian, German, or Mexican. They might be more specific and refer to themselves as French-Canadian, Ukrainian-Canadian, or First Nations-Canadian. They might call themselves Winnipeggers, Montrealers, or Vancouverites. A person has many identities and belongs to several societies at the same time.

Society and Identity A society can also include clubs and professional organizations that help to identify it. In Canadian society, for instance, there is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Canadian Football League, to name two. Sometimes we even talk of “global society: or “world society,” suggesting that the entire human race can be seen as one society.

Society and Identity For us to understand the past, we also have to know what a civilization is. A civilization has to have a central government that is responsible for organizing and maintaining a society’s internal structure, such as a drainage or sewer system. Civilizations are characterized by several other criteria, but it is important to know that a society and a civilization are not the same thing.

Society and Identity When historians study a society, they ask certain questions so they can understand how the society works. What are the society’s main values? How are the values protected or enforced? Does everyone share them? What happens to people who do not share these values? What is the society’s belief system? What do people do for leisure and recreation? How does the society raise its children and ensure its survival over time?

Society and Identity 5. How does the society get its food and most other basic needs? How do people make a living and support themselves? 6. Does the society accept or resist change? How does it respond to new ideas? 7. How does the society protect itself against enemies? What is its attitude to war and peace? 8. What is the society’s attitude to the outside world? Is the society open to trade and travel? 9. What is the system of government? Who has power? How do they use their power? 10. How is the society organized? How are families structured? How are men and women treated? How are wealth and property divided?

Society and Identity As you study world history, ask yourself these questions to better understand how each society has evolved. You can also use the questions to compare the societies with each other and with societies today. A society is more than just a lot of people who occupy a shared space. A society consists of people who have joined together for protection and/or to satisfy their material and non-material needs. Material needs include food, clothing, and shelter. Non-material needs may include religious and spiritual beliefs, entertainment, recreation, and the arts.