anthropology exam 2

what is the purpose of political anthropology?

to study the means of controls

as societies become more complex, the means of exercising \____ \_____ over their own members increases accordingly.

social control

How do societies exercise political control? (3 pal).

Power, Authority, Legitimacy

POWER (How do societies exercise political control? ).

the ability to induce behavior of others in specified ways by means of COERCION or PHYSICAL FORCE.

AUTHORITY (How do societies exercise political control?).

the ability to induce behaviour of others by persuasion.

LIGITMACY (How do societies exercise political control?).

the perception that an individual has a valid right to leadership.

Elman Service (1975) - Four Levels (of socio-cultural integration).

band, tribe, chiefdoms, state.

egalitarian society: Bands (differences between members in wealth, status and power. and qualities of bands)

few differences between members in wealth, status and power.

bands: foragers, nomadic, interpersonal arguments create conflict, modesty is valued.

Egalitarian Societies: Tribes (qualities).

defined groups linked together.

100-5,000 people.

no centralized government.

Leadership roles open, not hereditary.

Social integration through sodalities, men's houses, formal gift exchanges, and marriage.

ranked societies (chiefdoms)

Greater differentiation between

individuals, their kin groups, hierarchy of prestige.

permanent political office of chief, may be hereditary.

\~ economic redistribution.

\~ social integration through marriage and secret societies.

stratified societies

Elites (a numerical minority) control strategic resources that sustain life•.

Ex: Caste systems- membership is determined by birth, no movement from one to another (such as in class systems);endogamous marriage.

stratified societies (state)

Political power is centralized in a government that has a monopoly over the legitimate use of force- Large, diverse populations

\~ Complex economies (often market economy)

\~ Social stratification

\~ Intensive agriculture or industrial subsistence

\~ Defined geographical territory.

\
Heads of state, often with councilors

\~ Administrative bureaucracy handles public functions.

\~ Taxation or tribute.

\~ Ideologies maintain the elites' power.

\
\~ law is formal and codified, adjudication.

\~ warfare is widespread.

\~ tendency toward instability.

how do Stratified Societies: States form?

\~ Elite minority controls resources of majority.

\~ Increased agricultural productivity.

\~ Peasant farmers were the original subjects of state society formation(, i.e. state controls peasant resources).

\~ Loss of land and self-sufficiency.

ISIS formed in 2014 in Iraq and Syria, a military organization based on theocratic ideals, it has features such as.,

\-Armed force

* Resources and revenue
* Administrative structure
* A body of law
* Uses the Internet to spread ideology.

\
there is an argument that ISIS is a _______ in formation?

State

types of modes of production (economics)

\~ Domestic production (kin ordered).

\~ Tributary Production.

\~ Capitalist Production.

what are modes of production?

Modes of production are different ways that people have organized themselves to produce the things they need to live.

domestic production

\~ Production organizes work on the basis of family (kinship) relations and does not necessarily involve formal social domination, or the control of and power over other people.

\~ mainly foragers and small-scale farmers.

\~ Workers typically own their means of production.

\~ sharing.

Tributary Production

the primary producer pays tribute in the form of material goods or labor to another individual or group of individuals who controls production through political, religious, or military force

\~ Workers typically own their means of production.

\~ Communities organized by kinship.

\~ production is controlled politically.

\~ relationships often conflictual.

Capitalist Production

Began during 17th and 18th Centuries- Private property owned by a capitalist class

\~ Workers sell their labor to others, are separated from the means of production.

\~ Keep wages low in order to sell products for more than it costs to produce the products.

\~ Generates a surplus.

Salaula in Zambia: The Informal Economy- Global clothing recycling business. is an example of \______ of production.

modes

What is the traditional mode of production of the Kucong (or Koo Cong) who live in the mountains of Koo Loo, and how is it characterized?

1. domestic production (hunter and gathering).

Why has the government sought to resettle the Kucong and into which types of settings?

2. they trying to push them into a more urban and city like agricultural approach, which could lead them to moving into a capitalist mode of production.

How have the Kucong reacted to government initiated resettlements and why?

3. they are outraged as it feels the government doesn't want to help or respect them but rather wants to solely push the governments ideals on them.

balanced reciprocity

the exchange of something with the expectation that something of equal value will be returned within a specific time period.

consumption

the process of buying, eating, or using a resource, food, commodity, or service.

generalized reciprocity

giving without expecting a specific thing in return

general purpose money

a medium of exchange that can be used in all economic transactions

Homo Economicus

a term used to describe a person who would make rational decisions in ways predicted by economic theories

means of production

the resources used to produce goods or services in a society such as land for farming or factories.

mode of production

the social relations through which human labour is used to transform energy from nature using tools, skills, organization, and knowledge.

negative reciprocity

an attempt to get something for nothing; exchange in which both parties try to take advantage of the other.

political economy

an approach in anthropology that investigates the historical

evolution of economic relationships as well as the contemporary political processes and social structures that contribute to differences in income and wealth.

Redistribution

the accumulation of goods or labour by a particular person or institution for the purpose of dispersal at a later date.

structural violence

a form of violence in which a social structure or institution

harms people by preventing them from meeting their basic needs.

subsistence farmers

people who raise plants and animals for their own consumption, but not for sale to others.

affinal

related through marriage

age grades

groups of people who are close to one another in age and share similar

duties or responsibilities.

age set

named categories to which people of a certain age are assigned at birth.

(like when you are born, you are given the high school graduation data of class of 2023).

band

the smallest unit of political organization, consisting of only a few families and no formal leadership positions and the oldest form of political organization.

\
(group that is connected by family ties and is politically independent).

Big Man

a form of temporary or situational leadership; influence results from acquiring followers.

Bilateral cross-cousin marriage

a man marries a woman who is both his mother's brother's daughter and his father's sister's daughter

bilateral descent

kinship (family) systems that recognize both the mother's and the father's "sides" of the family.

Caste System

the division of society into hierarchical levels; one's position is determined by birth and remains fixed for life.

Chiefdom

large political units in which the chief, who usually is determined by heredity, holds a formal position of power.

circumscription

the enclosure of an area by a geographic feature such as mountain ranges or desert or by the boundaries of a state

Codified Law

formal legal systems in which damages, crimes, remedies, and punishments are specified

egalitarian

societies in which there is no great difference in status or power between individuals and there are as many valued status positions in the societies as there are persons able to fill them.

feuds

disputes of long duration characterized by a state of recurring hostilities between families, lineages, or other kin groups.

Ideologies

ideas designed to reinforce the right of power-holders to rule.

Legitimacy

the perception that an individual has a valid right to leadership.

lineage

individuals who can trace or demonstrate their descent through a line of males or females back to a founding ancestor.

Matrilateral cross-cousin marriage

a man marries a woman who is his mother's brother's daughter.

Matrilineal

kinship (family) systems that recognize only relatives through a line of female ancestors. (focuses on mothers and her kids family)

Nation

an ethnic population

negative reinforcements

punishments for noncompliance through fines, imprisonment, and death sentences

Oaths

the practice of calling on a deity to bear witness to the truth of what one says.

ordeal

a test used to determine guilt or innocence by submitting the accused to

dangerous, painful, or risky tests believed to be controlled by supernatural forces.

Patrillineal

kinship (family) systems that recognize only relatives through a line of male ancestors. (identify family through the father and its children).

Peasants

residents of a state who earn a living through farming.

poro and sande (not important).

secret societies for men and women, respectively, found in the Mande-speaking peoples of West Africa, particularly in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Ivory Coast, and Guinea.

positive reinforcements

rewards for compliance; examples include medals, financial incentives, and other forms of public recognition

Proletarianization

a process through which farmers are removed from the land and forced to take wage labour employment.

raids

short-term uses of physical force organized and planned to achieve a limited objective.

ranked

societies in which there are substantial differences in the wealth and social status of individuals; there are a limited number of positions of power or status, and only a few can occupy them

Restricted exchange

a marriage system in which only two extended families can engage in this exchange

Reverse dominance

societies in which people reject attempts by any individual to exercise power

segmentary lineage

a hierarchy of lineages that contains both close and relatively distant family members

social classes

the division of society into groups based on wealth and status.

sodality

a system used to encourage solidarity or feelings of connectedness between people who are not related by family ties.

state

the most complex form of political organization characterized by a central government that has a monopoly over legitimate uses of physical force, a sizeable

bureaucracy, a system of formal laws, and a standing military force

Stratified

societies in which there are large differences in the wealth, status, and power of individuals based on unequal access to resources and positions of power.

sumptuary rules

norms that permit persons of higher rank to enjoy greater social status by wearing distinctive clothing, jewelry, and/or decorations denied those of lower rank

\
(drip that distinguishes you as higher ranking).

tribe

political units organized around family ties that have fluid or shifting systems of temporary leadership

Unilineal descent

kinship (family) systems that recognize only one sex-based "side" of the family (only male or only female).

Avunculocal

married individuals live with or near an uncle

Bridewealth

payments made from the groom's family to the bride's family before marriage.

Common in pastoralist societies.

\
\
(remember - the wife is considered valuable - she adds wealth, they pay to compensate family their loss of wealth).

clan

a group of people who have a general notion of common descent that is not attached to a specific biological ancestor.

descent groups

relationships that provide members with a sense of identity and social support based on ties of shared ancestry.

Domestic group

a term that can be used to describe a group of people who live together

even if members do not consider themselves to be family.

Dowry

payments usually made from the bride's family to the groom's family before marriage.

Common in agricultural societies.

(usually representing the higher status of the groom or groom's family, or the higher value placed on men over women.)

Endogamy

a term describing expectations that individuals must marry within a particular group.

Exogamy

a term describing expectations that individuals must marry outside a particular group.

extended family

a family of at least THREE generations sharing a household.

family

the smallest group of individuals who see themselves as connected to one another.

family of orientation

the family in which a person is raised.

This family orients you to society.

family of procreation

the family formed when a couple's first child is born and will be raised in.

household

a person or group of people living in the same residence

joint family

a very large extended family that includes multiple generations.

Kinship

the term used to describe culturally recognized ties between members of a family, the social statuses used to define family members, and the expected behaviours associated with these statuses.

kinship diagrams

charts used by anthropologists to visually represent relationships between members of a kinship group

kinship system

the pattern of culturally recognized relationships between family members

kinship terminology

the terms used in a language to describe relatives

Levirate

Custom by which a widow marries the brother of her deceased husband

lineage (in general)

the term used to describe any form of descent from a common ancestor

Matriarchal

a society in which women have the authority to make decisions.

matrilineal descent

a kinship system in which only the mother's relatives are significant (mothers and their children).

matrilocal residence

married individuals live with or near the wife's mother's family

neolocal residence

newly married individuals establish a household separate from other family members.

nuclear family

A married couple and their unmarried children living together.

\
(a parent or parents who are in a culturally-recognized relationship, such as marriage, along with minor or dependent children.)

Patrilateral cousin marriage

the practice of marrying a male or female cousin on the father's side of the family