Quiz 1 Review

V. Gordon Childe

• association of complexiy and urbanization with the state

• materialist view

• "revolutions" as transformative periods in human history

• notion that cities are the pinnacle of civilization

• association between complexity and urbanization with the state

E.B. Tylor and Lewis Henry Morgan: Stages of Human Evolution

• proposed a three-stage model of human societal development: savagery, barbarism, and civilization.

• Savagery: This stage was characterized by hunting and gathering societies.

• Barbarism: This stage involved the development of agriculture, domestication of animals, and the establishment of more complex social structures.

• Civilization: This stage marked the highest level of societal development, featuring advanced technologies, complex political structures, and urban centers. (when you get cities)

• feeds into Childe’s ideas

Robert Carneiro’s circumscription hypothesis (1970)

• space is limited = circumscription

• because they cant expand so they get denser and denser cities

• people build cities because they need to, as their land is circumscribed

Anghor Wat Challenging Carneiro

• formation of city circumscribed (Carneiro’s idea)

  • Challenges it because of mass spread of city of Angor Wat (space seems to not be limited)

  • belief the city as an idea'

  • shaped by Theravada Buddhism: in the shape of the mandala (represents scared order)

  • example that cities are not all the same

Walter Christaller central place (1933)

• there are central places and people want to live by them = creates cities

• there is cities because of trade, central places

• places become dense

Childe us. Wirth

Childe = celebrates civilization and progress

• civilization and progress is good

• association of complexiy and urbanization with the state

• notion that cities are the pinnacle of civilization

Wirth = anomie & breakdowns

• civilization and progress is bad

• segmentalization of life in city leaves a risk of Anomie

• Anomie: Schizoid character, gives rise to loneliness

• Anomie = lead to a fragmented and disconnected sense of self. result in feelings of loneliness and alienation

Mike Davis: Planet of Slums connection to Childe

• idea that as cities grow rapidly, it creates more misery

• we are creating a planet of slums

• we need to pay attention to kinds of poverty and inequality before its too late

• challenges idea that cities are the best (goes against the ideas of Childe, more connected to Wirth’s idea of cities)

City as theatre: Mumford

• city creates theatre and is the theatre

• city is an institutional process, a theatre of social action

• city fosters art and is art

• the city creates drama

Eric Wolf (Qualities of a peasant community)

• closed membership = boundaries of whos allowed in

• communal land

• rotating leadership = has to do with debt (keep anyone from becoming too powerful)

• civil and religious functions

• levelling mechanisms

Red Field VS Lewis

red field = harmonous place . Great Tradition = Redfield

lewis = its a bad place (argues there is a culture of poverty)

Orientalism

• Discourse of knowledge about the Orient (EAST) produced by the colonial powers of the West

• East (Orient) = Never changes (stable), they are backwards, behind in time

• West = at the peak, idea we are democracy, we have progress (dynamic)

• describing other places based on what the west is not; development of a binary (EAST VS WEST)

Orientalism and our assumptions

Assumption One: The complex irrigation system of South East Asia can only be implemented through slavery or despotic rule (rely on brute force) — Ideas of Wittfogel (Oriental Despotism)

• Proven wrong by Lansing: Did work on Balinese water temple priests. Identified the role of religious ritual and belief.Social cooperation is the basis and not despotic rule in South East Asia. Had a calendar of when to plan and how to share water (created by the priests)

Assumption Two: There is only one type of Oriental City and all take after it

• Abu Lughod = Focused on the problem of Orientalism within the islamic city.

• the Islamic City is a social process

1. The umma = all Muslims are part of a single community and share a common faith and destiny (relationship to territorial segregation and the infrastructural role of neighbourhoods)

2. Gender Segregation

3. Customary law and its relationship to property rights

"Savage Slot," as discussed by Michel-Rolph Trouillot,

• category created by Western societies (used by the West to define and contrast itself)

• Trouillot explores how the idea of the "savage" or the "primitive" is a relational concept that the West has constructed for its own purposes.

• Linked to Ideas of Order and Utopia:

  • The notion of the "savage" is often linked to ideas of order and utopia within Western thought. By portraying certain societies as "savage" or "primitive," the West reinforces its own sense of superiority and progress, casting itself as the epitome of order and civilization.

• East-West Differences (Orientalist Views):

  • The construction of the "Savage Slot" is part of a broader pattern of thinking that involves distinguishing between the East and West. Trouillot references Orientalist views, where the East is often portrayed as exotic, backward, or different. This binary distinction helps shape Western perceptions of itself as advanced and superior.

• Modernity and Tradition

  • Trouillot suggests that the concept of the "savage" is intricately linked to the need for tradition in modern Western societies. Modernity, as a concept, requires a contrasting "other", so Tradition associated with the "savage” serves as a point of comparison

Binaries to Understand

Gremeinschaft VS Gremallschaft

• idea of Toennies

• gemeinschaft = personal relations, joint bonds, recriprocity, barter exchange, Divine sanctions

• gesellschaft = relations between strangers, depersonalized bonds, purchase and contract, secular sanctions

Mechanical VS Organic

• idea of Durkheim

• Mechanical Solidarity = traditional or pre-industrial societies (high degree of shared values) The division of labor in these societies is minimal. Social order is maintained through the similarity and likeness of individuals.

• Organic Solidarity: modern, industrial societies. Complex division of labor and specialization.

Orthogenetic VS Heterogenetic cities

• idea of Richard Sennett (identified kinds of cities)

• Orthogenetic cities = slow growing, keeping traditions and sharing them (Ex: Lethbridge)

• Heterogenetic cities = change, mixing, innovation (Ex: Calgary - Hot cities)

Tradition VS Modern

• Tradition

  • Gemeinschaft

  • Status

  • Blood

  • Mechanical solidarity

  • Pre-capitalist

• Modernity

  • Gesellschaft (Toennies)

  • Contract (Sir Henry Maine)

  • Soil (Lewis Henry Morgan)

  • Organic solidarity (Durkheim)

  • Capitalist (Marx)

The German School — Sennet

first modern effort at urban studies

• Max Weber

• Georg Simmel

• Oswald Spengler

Weber

• Cosmopolitanism: citizen of the whole world

• City as a social form that permits the greatest degree of individuality and uniqueness in the world

• encourage social individuality and innovation

• An instrument for historical change

• city allows chance for full freedom (didnt think we were there yet)

Simmel

• psychic overload

• city overwhelms people through an excess of psychic stimulation

• Leads to defensive posture and not reacting emotionally to people

• wirth resembles simmel in his emphasis on psychic overload

Spengler

• the decline of the west

• the cyclical rise and fall of cities (the fall of the roman empire all over again)

• will become parasite city dwellers

• natural rise and fall of civilization

Lewis use of Rorschach test shows influence of Simmel and Wirth

• psychology, internal perception rather than entire city

• When Lewis uses a Rorschach test with members of the family he studies, we see the influence of Simmel and Wirth (focus on Psychological more like them)

Robert Redfield:

• "folk-urban continuum,"

  • describe the spectrum of cultural traits ranging from traditional rural (folk) to more modern urban. Redfield believed in the existence of a continuum rather than a strict dichotomy between rural and urban life.

  • laid the foundation for the study of hybridity = the blending of traditional and modern elements in societies (Lewis considered folk society to be a hybrid society)

• Redfield as Teacher of Oscar Lewis

  • While Redfield's work often emphasized the harmonious aspects of folk communities transitioning to urban life, Lewis argued that urban life, particularly in impoverished areas, could lead to chaos and social problems.

Spradley

• idea of adaptive strategies of urban nomads and spatial cognitive domains:

  • related to Spradley's approach in ethnography

  • Ethnoscience = study of how people in a particular culture understand the world, including their spatial cognitive domains and mental maps.

• Spradley's Methods:

  • influenced by Redfield's great tradition and ethnoscience, involve studying how marginalized groups adapt to their environments. This includes understanding their cognitive processes, adaptive strategies, and the ways in which they navigate and make sense of their surroundings.

Robert Redfield, Great Tradition" and "Little Tradition"

1. Great Tradition:

   • overarching, often more formal and institutionalized

   • cultural elements that are shared by a larger society or civilization

   • more dominant social structures

   • standardized forms of religion, education, political institutions, and other elements

2. Little Tradition:

   • localized, often more informal, and community-specific cultural practices within smaller social units, such as villages or local communities.

   • cultural elements that are distinctive to a particular group

Robert Park's Ecological Perspective:

• developed the ecological approach to urban sociology

• focuses on the ways in which cities can be understood as ecosystems

• used Burgess model

1. Dominance:

   • the spatial distribution of different groups or communities within a city

   • The idea is that certain social groups or institutions may dominate specific areas, leading to distinctive patterns in the urban landscape.

2. Symbiosis:

   • the interdependence and cooperation among different groups within a city

   • despite differences, communities often rely on each other for resources and services, contributing to the overall functioning of the urban ecosystem.

3. Succession:

   • The concept of succession in urban ecology involves the idea that neighborhoods and communities go through a process of change over time

   • urban neighborhoods undergo succession as populations and social structures evolve.

Burgess Model:

• a student of Robert Park

• developed the concentric zone model in the 1920s

• a theoretical framework that depicts the spatial organization of cities in concentric rings.

• initially developed based on the study of Chicago and is considered a classic representation of urban structure

• Generalization:

  • Burgess developed this model as an idealized representation that could be applied to different cities, but it does not capture the specific experiences of diverse communities within those cities.

• Lack of Lived Experience and Etic Perspective:

  • The Burgess model is criticized for its lack of consideration for the lived experiences of various communities, including the omission of rich cultural aspects

  • It is more of an etic (outsider's) perspective, focusing on the physical structure and typology of a city rather than the nuanced experiences of its inhabitants.

• Rich Black Culture and Critique:

  • Burgess model may overlook rich cultural aspects, including the diversity and vibrancy of black cultures in cities.

  • The model's focus on physical typology might not adequately represent the complexities and positive attributes of various neighbourhoods, potentially perpetuating stereotypes.