power dynamics

Band

A small kinship-based group of foragers who hunt and gather for a living over a particular territory.

Tribe

In the context of evolutionary typology of political systems, a culturally distinct, multiband population that imagined itself as one people descended from a common ancestor; today, more often used to describe an Indigenous group with its own set of loyalties and leaders living to some extent outside the control of a centralized authoritative state.

Chiefdom

An autonomous political unit composed of a number of villages or communities under the permanent control of a paramount chief.

State

An autonomous regional structure of political, economic, and military rule with a central government authorized to make laws and use force to maintain order and defend its territory.

Hegemony

The ability of a dominant group to create consent and agreement within a population without the use or threat of force.

Civil society organization

A local nongovernmental organization that challenges state policies and uneven development and advocates for resources and opportunities for its local community.

Militarization

The contested social process through which a civil society organizes for the production of military violence.

Agency

The potential power of individuals and groups to contest cultural norms, values, mental maps of reality, symbols, institutions, and structures of power.

Social movement

Collective group actions that seek to build institutional networks to transform cultural patterns and government policies.

Framing process

The creation of shared meanings and definitions that motivate and justify collective action by social movements.