Politics and Power in Societies - Anth 121 Fall 2024 - Week 8 part 1 PDF

Politics and Power in Societies Week 8 PART 1 AGENDA Political Anthropology: power, authority Four levels of socio-cultural integration: band, tribe, chiefdom, state Stratification and Egalitarianism Band political orga...

Politics and Power in Societies Week 8 PART 1 AGENDA Political Anthropology: power, authority Four levels of socio-cultural integration: band, tribe, chiefdom, state Stratification and Egalitarianism Band political organization Tribe Political Organization Principles in maintaining equality Communal mode of production, gift exchange, market exchange Egalitarian redistribution Chiefdoms, complex chiefdoms, states Stratified redistribution Capitalist mode of production and tributary mode of production War and slavery 2  Understand the differences between bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states. Especially the redistribution systems, mode of production, and system of exchange Describe the core qualities of a stratified system and the core By the end of this qualities of an egalitarian system week's class you Explain how categorizing societies into bands, tribes, chiefdoms, or states is related to colonization and ethnocentrism should be able Understand the principles underlying equality and the principles underlying inequality, especially how these principles relate to to... labour Provide an example of a gift exchange and a market exchange Explain how war and slavery are related to stratification Describe what a state is and how it is different from a "nation" Understand the difference between the tributary mode of production and the Capitalist mode of production Describe what a "ranked" society is and how these societies differ depending on whether they are chiefdoms or states Political Anthropology All cultures have one thing in common: all exercise some element of social control over their members. Political anthropology studies the means of control over people, and how people negotiate power relations and construct social meanings that undermine or support relationships. Power: The ability to induce behaviour of others in specified ways by means of coercion or use/threat of physical force. Authority: The ability to induce behaviour of others by persuasion. Power Authority Four levels of socio-cultural integration Elman Service (1975) developed a scheme for categorizing the political character of societies that recognized four levels of socio-cultural integration: Band, Tribe, Chiefdom, State Bands: the smallest unit of political organization, consisting of a few families and no formal leadership Tribes: larger populations, organized around kinship and have fluid systems of leadership Chiefdoms: large political units in which the chief, who is usually determined by hereditary, holds a formal position of power. States: Characterized by a central government that has a monopoly over legitimate uses of physical force, a large bureaucracy, and system of formal laws, and a military These four systems can be categorized into two forms of wealth distribution structures: Egalitarian and Stratified  Stratification A system where one group controls the means of production and uses the labour of those who do not control the means of production Means of production: the resources used in the process of production (tools, raw materials, land etc.). Peoples' work is not counted as part of the means of production. Instead, peoples' work is called labour. A stratification system shifts surplus into the hands of those who control the means of production. In a stratified society, particular groups who own the means of production have greater access to wealth, power, and prestige than groups who do not own the means of production. Those who own the means of production are able to pass on their position to their children.  Egalitarianism A system of relationships in which everyone has equally has access to needed resources. In the most egalitarian societies, no one can be denied access to the means of production. In egalitarian societies, leaders have no real power. Instead, they have authority. Their position is not passed on to their descendants, and they have no more material possessions or food than anyone else.  EGALITARIAN STRATIFIED BANDS TRIBES CHIEFDOMS STATES  Comparing political systems Political Size Mobility Leadership Style System Band