Download
1 / 24
260 likes | 573 Views
Chapter 12, Political Organization and Social Control. Key Terms. acephalous societies Societies without a political head such as a president, chief, or king. age grade Permanent age categories in a society through which people pass during the course of a lifetime.
E N D
Chapter 12, Political Organizationand Social Control Key Terms
acephalous societiesSocieties without a political head such as a president, chief, or king. age gradePermanent age categories in a society through which people pass during the course of a lifetime.
age organizationA type of social organization, found in East Africa and among certain Native American groups, where people of roughly the same age pass through different levels of society together. Each ascending level, based on age, carries with it increased social status and rigidly defined roles.
age setA group of people roughly the same age who pass through various age grades together. ancestor worshipThe worshiping of deceased relatives. These souls are considered supernatural beings and fully functioning members of a descent group.
authority Legitimate power exercised with the consent of the members of a society. autocracyA form of government, controlled by a leader with absolute power that denies popular participation in decision making.
band societiesBands are the basic social unit found in many hunting-and- gathering societies; these societies are characterized by being kinship based and having no permanent political structure. chiefdomsAn intermediate form of political organization in which integration is achieved through the office of chiefs.
corporate lineagesKinship groups whose members engage in daily activities together. council of eldersA formal control mechanism composed of a group of elders who settle disputes among individuals within a community.
degradation ceremoniesDeliberate and formal societal mechanisms designed to publicly humiliate someone who has broken a social norm. devianceThe violation of a social norm.
ghost invocationThe practice of a living person (typically an elder) calling forth the wrath of ancestor gods against an alleged sinner. ghostly vengeanceThe belief that ancestor gods (ghosts) will punish sinners.
hydraulic theory of state formationThe notion that early state systems of government arose because small-scale farmers were willing to surrender a portion of their autonomy to a large government entity in exchange for the benefits of large-scale irrigation systems.
intermediariesMediators of disputes among individuals or families within a society. • lawCultural rules that regulate human behavior and maintain order.
Leopard-skin ChiefAn example of an intermediary found among the Nuer of the African Sudan. mootsInformal hearings of disputes for the purpose of resolving conflicts, usually found in small-scale societies.
nationA group of people who share a common identity, history, and culture. negative sanctionsPunishment for violating the norms of a society.
oathThe practice of having God bear witness to the truth of what a person says. ordealA painful and possibly life-threatening test inflicted on someone suspected of wrongdoing.
pan-tribal mechanismsMechanisms such as clans, age grades, and secret societies found in tribal societies that cut across kinship lines and integrate the local segments of the tribe into a larger whole. political coercivenessThe capacity of a political system to enforce its will on the general population.
political integrationThe process that brings disparate people under the control of a single political system. positive sanctionsA mechanism of social control for enforcing a society’s norms through rewards.
public opinionWhat the general public thinks about some issue. When public opinion is brought to bear on an individual, it can influence his or her behavior. rebellionAn attempt within a society to disrupt the status quo and redistribute the power and resources.
revolutionAn attempt to overthrow the existing form of political organization, the principles of economic production and distribution, and the allocation of social status. sanctionsAny means used to enforce compliance with the rules and norms of a society.
social controlMechanisms found in all societies that function to encourage people not to violate the social norms. socializationTeaching the young the norms in a society.
social normsExpected forms of behavior. song duelA means of settling disputes over wife stealing among the Inuit involving the use of song and lyrics to determine one’s guilt or innocence.
specialized political rolesWhen large numbers of people are required to carry out specific tasks such as law enforcement, tax collection, dispute settlement, recruitment of labor, and protection from outside invasion. stateA particular type of political structure that is hierarchical, bureaucratic, and centralized and has a monopoly on the legitimate use of force to implement its policies.
state system of governmentA bureaucratic, hierarchical form of government composed of various echelons of political specialists. supernatural belief systemsA set of beliefs found in all societies that transcend the natural, observable world.
tribal societiesSmall-scale societies composed of a number of autonomous political units sharing common linguistic and cultural features. voluntaristic theory of state formationThe theory that suggests that stable systems of state government arose because people voluntarily surrendered some of their autonomy to the state in exchange for certain benefits.
warfareArmed conflict between nation-states or other politically distinct groups. witchcraftAn inborn, involuntary, and often unconscious capacity to cause harm to other people.
