Political Systems Chapter 7
Types and Trends Tribes - economies based on nonintensive food production - live in villages - based on descent - lack reliable government
Chiefdom - intermediate between the tribe and the states - based on kinship, marriage, descent, age, gender, - permanent political structure - access to resources
State - formal government - socioeconomic stratification
Bands and Tribes Foraging Bands - trade with other bands - rely on governments and missionaries - forced into marginal environments - modern day: hunting, gathering, wage work, farming, herding, fishing → environmental degradation and population increase
Bands and Tribes - 2 kinds of social groups → nuclear family → the band - changed from year to year - relationships developed through kin - trade partners
Bands and Tribes Egalitarian - believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities - band leaders led in name only - could not enforce advice - people w/ special talents could be treated differently
Bands and Tribes - lacked formal law (legal code w/ trial and enforcement) - methods for social control and disputes
EX: Inuit Tribe - The most significant social group was the nuclear family and the band. Personal relationships linked the bands and sometimes were led by headmen and shamen (part time religious leaders). Hunting and fishing were the primary activities. The men faced the most dangerous jobs and would often die during them. Women significantly outnumbered the men.
- (CONTINUED) Population regulation was permitted (infanticide) in order to control the female population. However, men were allowed to take more than one wife. The ability to support multiple wives carried a certain amount of prestige and envy. If a man was thought to be taking additional wives just to enhance his reputation, a rival was likely to steal one of them. Most disputes were caused by a wife stealing or being unfaithful. The man had several options: 1. kill the wife stealers 2. challenge the rival to a song battle (insulting songs about each other)
- (CONTINUED) Several acts that are crimes in North America are not considered criminal by the Inuit. 1. Infanticide 2. Euthanasia Thefts are uncommon among foragers. Each person has access to sustainable ways of life. There is a belief that “all natural resources are free or common goods.”
Bands and Tribes Tribal Cultivators - usually horticulture - usually small - open access to resources - organized in descent groups - heads of groups have little authority - gender stratification
Bands and Tribes The Village Head - always a man - authority is limited → lead by persuasion and example - mediator - no authority to back decisions
Bands and Tribes The “Big Man” - almost always male - supporters in several villages - regulator - regional political organization - wealth, generosity, bravery, supernatural powers - do not inherit position
Bands and Tribes Pantribal Sodalities and Age Grades - pan several villages - developed b/c of warfare - age sets: all men, born at different time spans → dance, songs, possessions, privileges → buy their way into higher levels
Age Grades - levels - EX: Warrior grade
Most common grades in Africa: 1. Recently initiated youths 2. Warriors 3. One or more grades of mature men who play important roles in pantribal govt. 4. Elders, who may have special ritual responsibilities.
Bands and Tribes Nomadic Politics - tribes pitted against each other - state becomes final authority
Chiefdoms - Few survive today - emerged when tribes were forming into states - began in Mesopotamia (Iran and Iraq) - most are almost states
Chiefdoms Political & Economic Systems - based on kinship, marriage, descent, age, generation, and gender - different between chiefdoms and states? → state bring nonrelatives together → states pledge allegiance to a govt.
Chiefdoms - permanent political regulation of a territory - thousands of people living in diff. villages (or hamlets) - regulation is carried out by the chief - hold offices: permanent positions which must be filled when vacated
Ex: Polynesia - Chiefs were full-time political specialists in charge of regulating the economy. Polynesians relied on religion to help maintain their authority. They regulated production by commanding or prohibiting (using taboos) the cultivation of certain land for crops. Chiefs also regulated distribution and consumption. At certain seasons - often on ritual occasion such as the first-fruit ceremony - people would offer part of their harvest to the chief.
(continued) Such a flow of resources to and from the central office is known as chiefly redistribution. Redistribution offers economic advantages. If the different areas specialized in particular crops, goods, or services, chiefly redistribution made those products available to the whole society.
Chiefdoms Social Status in Chiefdoms - based on seniority → calculated intricately - all descended from the founding ancestors
EX: Polynesia - A 3rd son would rank below the 2nd, who in turn would rank below the 1st. The children of the an eldest brother, however, would rank above the children of the next brother, whose children would in turn outrank those of the younger brothers. However, even the lowest-ranking person in a chiefdom was still the chief’s relative.
Chiefdoms Status Systems in Chiefdoms and States - differential access: some men and women had privileged access to power, prestige, and wealth → controlled strategic resources
- states used elite systems (nobility) - chiefs could be exempt from work - had to be very generous - in some cases they tried to create kingdoms
Chiefdoms Social Stratification 1. wealth 2. power 3. prestige
States - autonomous political units with social classes and a formal govt. - tend to be larger than bands and chiefdoms
States 1. Population control 2. Judiciary 3. Enforcement 4. Fiscal
States 1. Population Control - censuses - boundaries - subdivisions (states, provinces etc) - political organizations dominate
1. population cont. - geographic mobility - rights to citizens and noncitizens - citizens and noncitizens
States 2. Judiciary - laws - crimes + punishments - courts + judges
States 3. Enforcement - confinement = jailers - death penalty = executioners - police - military
4. Fiscal Systems - finances - taxes - public work projects, monuments