(Ch 6) Societies to Social Networks

Group

People who interact with one another and who think of themselves as belonging together

Hunting and Gathering Societies

These societies depend on hunting animals and gathering plants
Usually, men hunt and women gather
Groups are small, consisting of 25-40 members

Shaman

an individual thought to be able to influence spiritual forces and help obtain food

Nomadic

they move from one location to another

Egalitarian

believe that people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities
→ they do not have a ruler, as they do not need to work to store material possessions

Pastoral (or Herding) societies

societies are based on the pasturing of animals. They are groups that have a disproportionate subsistence emphasis on herding domesticated livestock.

Horticulture (or gardening) societies

societies which are based on the cultivation of plans by the use of hand tools. It is the science and art of producing edible fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and ornamental plants, improving and commercialising them.

Social Revolution

way of passing from a socioeconomic formation that has become historically obsolete to a more progressive one

How social revolution affected sociology

→ A radical qualitative change in the entire socioeconomic structure of society
→ As groups began possessing a surplus of objects, trade was stimulated

Social inequality

because some families (or clans) acquired more goods than others

How social inequality affected sociology

→ this led to wars, feuds, and slavery
→ wealth became more concentrated as individuals passed their possessions down to their descendants. So did power, which led to individuals becoming chiefs

culture

activities such as philosophy, art, literature, music, and architecture

Dawn of Civilisation

when fundamental inventions occurred, such as the wheel and language (writing and numbers).

Industrial Society

when goods are produced by machines powered by fuels instead of the force of humans and animals.
→ Defined by Herbert Blumer

Postindustrial societies

one that has transitioned from an economy of goods to an economy of services and has increased the rate of innovation and invention of new technologies and explored their application

Biotech Society

is a society whose economy increasingly centres on applying and altering genetic structures (both plants and animals to produce food, medicine, and materials

Human cloning

is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human

Artificial Human Cloning

reproduction of human cells and tissue

reference groups

are those to which you may or may not belong but use as a standard for evaluating your values, attitudes, and behaviors

A social network

is a set of links between individuals, between groups, or
between other social units, such as bureaucratic organizations or even entire nations