Types of Societies

1259 Words3 Pages

Types of Societies

HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES are the simplest types of societies in which people rely on readily available vegetation and hunted game for subsistence. Only a few people can be supported in any given area in such subsistence societies. Hence they usually have no more than 40 members or so, must be nomadic, and have little or no division of labor. All societies began as hunting and gathering societies. These societies were still common until a few hundred years ago. Today only a few remain, including pygmies in central Africa and aborigines in Australia. Most of the rest have had their territory overrun by other forms of society. Hunter-gatherer societies also tend to have non-hierarchical social structures. There is rarely surplus food, and since they are nomadic little ability to store any surplus. Thus full-time leaders, bureaucrats, or artisans are rarely supported by hunter-gathering societies. Hunting and gathering society consumes a great deal of time, energy, and thought, collecting and hunting for food. Most of these societies today generally live in marginal areas where resources are scarce, so life for the hunter and gatherer seems more oriented toward mere survival. Life expectancy is also very low compared to the post industrial society. Technology is minimal in the hunting and gathering society, which again relates back to the need for expending time and energy finding food. Technology in medicine is also primitive for hunters and gatherers. Equality is great and social stratification is low, opposed to the post-industrial society.
PASTORAL SOCIETIES are societies in which animals are domesticated and raised for food in pastures. Care of animals in the pastoral society still consumes a large portion of time for most of its members. Pastoral societies are also at risk of animal diseases or droughts. These societies do not have the technologies that post-industrial societies have to guard against food shortage. Pastoral society does not afford as much time for leisure as does the post-industrial society. This society does not have the technologies that post-industrial societies have to guard against food shortage. The pastorals are nomadic, and sometimes endure harsh and even dangerous environments in their journeys. Medical technology is also low, so physical pain and death are more common than in post-industrial society. Pastoral societies tended to develop in arid regions where there was insufficient rainfall to raise crops on the land. Pastoral societies were usually nomadic, moving on to a new area after the animals had exhausted the food supply in each pasture.

Show More
Related

  • Sociological Theories

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the sociological theories is conflict theory. The conflict theory deals with people's level on wealth, or class. The conflict theory says that social change is beneficial, contrary to focuses on social order. In the story of the woman and her children, the conflict theory plays a big role on the situation. Police of higher class are threatening the homeless woman. The conflict theory is a constant struggle of people of higher class over powering people of lower class, or the weaker. The police are trying to over power the woman by telling her to leave. Even though the woman and her children were doing nothing wrong, the police used their power to tell her to leave. Also the people of the area showed their conflict theory by telling the police officers to come. They must have felt embarrassed to have a woman of such lower class to be around them. They used their power of class to have the woman removed from their community. The woman wants to be there because she has no home and it is a good community to be in, but the people look at it as an embarrassment to them because it makes their area look bad for someone of such lower class to be around them. The conflict theory is unique to all other theories because it separates people into categories determined by their wealth and standards. Their status is the element that categorizes them, weather it is class, race, or gender. The conflict theory do not always use class, race, and gender all at once. In this situation race and gender is not a main issue, although gender could be a reason, but it would fall under the feminist theory. This story is mainly dealing with class. Through all this conflict the woman feels over powered and domina...

    Read More

  • Major Sociological Theories

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    1 Most sociologists interpret social life from one of three major theoretical frameworks or theories: symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, or conflict theory. Describe the major points and key concepts of each framework. List at least one sociologist who is identified with each of these three frameworks.

    Read More

  • Factory Farm Cause And Effect Essay

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Factory farming is where animals are packed as closely together as attainable, most never see or feel the sunlight, able to get fresh air or even able to turn around. These terrible conditions have serious effects on the animals physically and mentally. Illness spreads and fights break out between animals. This worldwide epidemic known as factory farming began when greedy people began to modify farms to maximise profit for themselves, but because of this, it not only has a terrible impact on animals but

    Read More

  • Ap World History Chapter 2 Study Guide

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    “[Agricultural societies] can organize more elaborate political structures because of their ability to send messages and keep records. They can tax more efficiently and make contracts and treaties...also generate a more explicit intellectual climate because of their ability to record data and build on past, written wisdom.” (Stearns, 17) A hunter-gatherer society is much more primitive and must have vast territory to hunt on. Basically, you can't build an advanced civilization without farming.

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Worst Mistake in Human History by Jared Diamond

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jared Diamond makes the argument that when humans decided 10,000 years ago to no longer be hunter-gatherers and made the decision to become sedentary and start domesticating their animals and crops, the result is that the human race has experienced a steady downfall. Diamond makes the point that “with agriculture came the gross social and sexual inequality, the disease and despotism that curse our existence,” (Diamond). While the present system certainly is far from being perfected, Diamond’s various complaints and solutions certainly would not be of much use in the present time either.

    Read More

  • Neolithic Revolution

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prior to living in homes build to with stand the test of time, growing food their food source, and raising animals, humans were nomads who followed their food source around and were hunters and gathers. Although it took many years, from 8000B.C. to 3000B.C. for humans to go from hunters and gathers to a more common day life as we now know it, the result is referred to as the Neolithic Revolution the begins of human civilization. As the people of this time began to settle down and they began to both farm the land and domesticate animals for the better of the community. Along with the development of these communities as for the first time began to create social class among the many different roles they played in their community. Because the people of this time no longer roamed around some of the first signs of technology began to appear around this time as well.

    Read More

  • Americans and Agriculture

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Agriculture is the science and practice of producing crops and livestock. The primary aim of agriculture is to use the land to produce more abundantly to feed and clothe the world at the same time protecting it from deterioration or misuse. Humans had to improve agriculture as they became more dependent on food, creating a solitary evolutionary connection between plants and animals (Campbell and Reece, 2001). In this day and age, so many people have forgotten the authentic premises of survival. It is easy for some to believe that the grocery stores produce food and clothing is produced by shopping centers. These inaccurate presumptions are being made due to the lack of knowledge of how agriculture truly works. There are also significant differences in the levels of understanding between rural and urban communities.

    Read More

  • The Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages

    329 Words  | 1 Pages

    The new stone, or Neolithic Age, marked the beginnings of established society for modern man. Although only a few Paleolithic societies adapted to agriculture from hunting/gathering, this shift led the way for advancement with society, economy, and technology. Man began to raise small herds of sheep and goats and food crops such as wheat and barley were able to be domesticated in mountain foothills. As more of the nomadic bands began to settle as farmers instead of hunter/gatherers, an economic system emerged. Although most of the nomadic societies were still self-sufficient, trading was established from items like stones and shells.

    Read More

  • Two Types Of Conformity And Non-Conformity In Society

    1768 Words  | 4 Pages

    Conformity is defined as the compliance with social standards and laws in a particular culture, environment, society and time. If this occurs the individual changes their attitudes, beliefs or actions to align more holistically with those in the surrounding groups and environment, as a result of real or perceived group pressure. This is ultimately a direct result of the power which a group has over the individual. There are two types of conformity, normative conformity, and informational conformity. Normative conformity is motivated by the desire to be liked and accepted in society. This is most widely known as peer pressure. For example, a student begins smoking because their peers are smoking,

    Read More

  • The Concept Of A Civil Society

    1569 Words  | 4 Pages

    This chapter began by introducing the concept of a civil society. Chirico (128) described it as people organising outside of government channels to meet social objectives. She pointed out that social movements in the past have focused on communities within nations while the current movements focus more on involving people from diverse parts of the world in order to promote human welfare regardless of where in the World they happen to be. Chirico shared a quote from Simmel (128) that really resonated with me and, in my opinion, captured such a complex concept into a short and simple sentence. He said that “Humanity is the collective life, the same people who from other perspective are organized into societies, polities economies, families, and so on”. I take this to mean that we are all, basically, the same; we are all humans who are trying to make it through whatever life we have been given to live. People are just people. I think the concept of civil society is one that I wish more people would understand and embrace instead of holding on to prejudice, judgement, and ignorance. According to Chirico (128), individuals who help do so out of a sense of shared experience by recognising that everyone is a victim of global problems and that anyone can help. There are endless ways to participate whether it be through a formal organisation such as NGO’s, The Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and The Peace Corps, through non-profit organisations and advocacy, or more individually by making donations, sponsoring a child, mentoring, volunteering in their communities. These are regular people who volunteer, and sometimes risk their lives, to fight for equal rights and treatment for all.

    Read More

  • The Agricultural Revolution And The Agricultural Revolution

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although, the farming was becoming increasingly popular in this period(neomatic people) however, this period also witnessed the domestication of wild animals. Since, early agriculture had changed the nomadic life and culture for forever, the domestication of wild animals started at the same time as the domestication of plants. People started domesticating the wild animals for many reason, as they abandon their neomatic lifestyle and begin farming. Goats and sheep were the few of many animals to be early domesticated for, meat, milk and skins. They also started selectively breeding animals for their desire of better milk production and meat. The region also saw a rapid growth on domestication and breeding of wild animals, leading towards pastoralism. The raising livestock population had also brought significant difference on people’s life. “The domestication of large animals dramatically increased the power available to humans to carry out their tasks, which had both an immediate effect in the societies in which this happened and a long-term effect…”(page 9 history of western society). Domestication of animals allowed farmers to use them on plowing a field, which not only reduced time of farmers, but also resulted a high

    Read More

  • The Agricultural Revolution And The Industrial Revolution

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the industrial revolution, villagers practiced communal farming, in which residents worked together to farm on a large lot of land. Part of the land was divided up into three different crop fields. One for wheat or rye, one for oats or beans, and one for fallow. The fourth section of land was left to give livestock a place to graze, plant wild plants, and store firewood for the winter. The Enclosure Movement helped propel the shift from agriculture to industry. With this movement, agriculture was used for commercial practices and not so much as a way to feed single families. Before the start the Enclosure Movement, villages practiced communal farming in which the land and what was grown and raised on it was shared between the residents. However, this way of farming changed as effects of the Enclosure Movement made their way into the villages. Communal farms were divided up into single-family farms, with each family receiving and equal share of land. The owners of the land were rich families. These owners lease the land to farmers. During the enclosure movement, the land owners wrote new leases to individual families. These leases usually lasted 19 years and every family that lived in the village had the right to get a lease. People who got very small farms could not survive on their own without the right to use the common land, of which there was little to no land because it had been divided up. Therefo...

    Read More

  • Five Major Social Institutions

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Five Major Social Institutions How has my personality been shaped by the five major institutions? Firstly, my family is one of the most influential parts of my life. My family has taught me all the values that I think that I would need in life. It is a good thing. I was not raised in an abusive family, which shapes my personality by making me less aggressive towards my peers, and teaching me that you cant get your way through force, but by patience.

    Read More

  • Traditional vs. Modern Society

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, what exactly does a traditional society entail? A traditional society has many distinguishable traits. A big difference is the rate of illiteracy in these societies. Since everyone in the family is working together to survive, no one has the time or energy to learn how to read and write. Education is considered an indulgence in traditional societies. Farming is the main career - low urbanization and more rural communities fill these areas. Farming is not meant to bring profit, like in a modern society; it means survival for these people.

    Read More

  • The Importance of Agriculture in History and the World

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Civilization began with agriculture, it allowed nomads to settle down, and form relationships, societies and eventually nations. But as our society developed, so did our means of farming. Whilst modern society greatly differs from our nomadic past, humanity still has fundamental dependence on agriculture. Today agriculture is the livelihood of most poor underdeveloped nations.

    Read More

More about Types of Societies

Open Document