Political Organization

Social differentiation Individuals may have different access to resources, power, and prestige Egalitarian Rank Stratified

Social differentiation Individuals may have different access to resources, power, and prestige Egalitarian Societies No one is denied access to resources No one has power over others Social positions not limited -many elders See individual differences, not power Use generalized or balanced reciprocity Associated with tribes or bands

Social differentiation Individuals may have different access to resources, power, and prestige Rank Societies Formal differences between those with power, prestige and those without Everyone has access to basic resources Use redistribution and balanced reciprocity based on horticulture and pastoralism Associated with chiefdoms

Social differentiation Individuals may have different access to resources, power, and prestige Stratified Societies Formal and permanent social and economic inequality Some individual and groups denied access to basic resources Market economy based on agriculture and industrialism Associated with complex state level political organization

Power and Social Control Ascribed status – based on birth Achieved status – based on individual accomplishment

Power and Social Control Power – the ability to make people take actions they might not prefer Based on control of resources Authority – ability to persuade others to take actions based on characteristics such as honor, status, knowledge, ability, respect

Power and Social Control Political Ideology – the shared values and beliefs that legitimize distribution and uses of power and authority When few in society accept ideology, more reliance on power and coercion

Power and Social Control Political processes – how groups and individuals use power and authority to achieve public goals How power changes hands How new political organization develops Leadership – the ability direct an enterprise or action

Power and Social Control Factions – informal alliances within political units such as lineage, village, or political party

Power and Social Control Rebellion – attempt of one group to change access to resources within an existing political structure Revolution – attempt to overthrow existing political structure and replace with another structure

Power and Social Control Law Society likes conformity to norms and values How to deal with non-normative behavior Shame, accusations of witchcraft, avoidance, supernatural sanctions (sin to Santa Claus) Law – when social norm is important enough to be enforced through punishment

Types of Political Organization Political Organization – ways power is used in society to regulate behavior Political organization is related to social complexity – number of groups and their interrelation Bands egalitarian Tribes egalitarian Chiefdoms rank States stratified

Types of Political Organization Band Societies Band – small group of nuclear families associated with a territory where they forage Generalized or balanced reciprocity Minimal role specialization, differences of wealth, prestige, power Exogamous marriage – to bond with others Bilateral kinship – many bonds Flexible membership

Types of Political Organization Band Societies Leadership No formal leadership Leaders are elders with knowledge Decision by consensus Social control and conflict resolution Controlled informally by gossip, ridicule, avoidance Bands do not engage in warfare, usually retreat Bands not free of conflict or violence, to resolve interpersonal conflict before it spreads to group individuals may leave group, or have song contest

Types of Political Organization Tribal Societies Tribe – a people who think of themselves as descended from the same ancestor or as part of the same people Reciprocity and redistribution, also market Egalitarian like bands Unilineal kin groups that own resources Horticultural and pastoral

Types of Political Organization Tribal Societies Political integration Age set or age grade – group of people of similar age and sex who move through life stages together Secret societies Segmentary lineage system – many descent groups form at different levels Complementary opposition – higher order units of segmentary lineage form alliances and emerge when lower order units come into conflict

Types of Political Organization Tribal Societies Leadership Leaders, but no centralized government Leaders for different jobs, Cheyenne war and peace Bigman of New Guinea, leader who gains power and authority through personal acheivements Social Control and Conflict Resolution Informal and formal Cheyenne police during summer Buffalo Hunt Nuer Leopard Skin Chief mediator New Guinea payment of compensation

Types of Political Organization Tribal Societies High Degree of Warfare Regulate balance between population and resources Ecologocal: Populations grows, need more land for horticulture Patrilineal, patrilocal societies make more use of war

Types of Political Organization Chiefdoms Chiefdom – a society with social ranking politically integrated by the chief Made up of parts that are structurally different like villages Common in cultivating and pastoralist societies where food is plentiful Tribute paid to Chief, then goods and services redistributed

Types of Political Organization Chiefdoms Leadership Chief is centralized government, chiefdom inherited Ranked society, some lineages are higher status Social Control and Conflict Resolution Lower internal violence than tribes because chief can judge, punish, and resolve disputes Maintained through fear and respect of chief

Types of Political Organization State Societies State – a hierarchical, centralized government has legal monopoly over the use of force Rely on citizenship over kinship Arise because of ecology, integration or conflict Ecology – limited land, high population, losers of conflict subordinate to winners Integration – benefits of stability, protection, trade, defense Conflict – protecting power and privileges of elite

Types of Political Organization State Societies Centralized Government An interrelated set of status roles separate from social organization such as kinship Concerned with making and enforcing public policy Intervenes in economic process Taxes, controls labor Encourages long distance trade, Regulate exchange and distribution, keeping peace, safe travel Military functions Rise of Cities Recordkeeping leads to writing, cities develop with science, art, architecture, philosophy specialization

Types of Political Organization State Societies Social stratification Intensive agriculture supports cities, specialization Elite has control of central government Hegemony-construction of values and beliefs that attempt to justify stratification system Keep public in control enough to ward off rebellion and revolution as threats to elite authority

Anthro contribution non-adversarial dispute resolution