1. Types of Societies
4.3

2. Introduction Role behavior often takes place in a group
Group: set of people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and who possess some degree of common identity
Largest and most complex are societies
Classified according to subsistence strategies: the way a society uses technology to provide for the needs of its members

3. Preindustrial Societies
Food production: through human and animal labor – is the main economic activity
Divided between their levels of technology and methods for food gathering
Subdivisions: hunting and gathering, pastoral, horticultural and agricultural

4. Hunting and Gathering Hunting and Gathering:
Daily collection of plants and hunting of wild animals
Move around in search of food
Do not build permanent settlements
Need for mobility limits the size of population
Fewer than 60 people
Statuses within group are relative equal
Decisions reached through general agreement
Family forms the social unit
Requires the family to carry out most social functions- production and labor

5. Pastoral Society Pastoral Society:
Rely on domesticated animals to meet food needs
Nomadic life- herds from pasture to pasture
Can support larger populations
Division of labor: -how work is divided- is much more complex
Craft workers, jewelry makers, etc
Production of goods encourage trade
Creates inequalities among families: some have more goods than others
Acquire power with wealth of goods
Passing on property from one generation to the next maintains and stabilizes power
Hereditary chieftainship: typical form of government

6. Horticultural Society
Horticultural Societies:
Fruits and vegetables grown on garden plots
Technology and complexity similar to pastoral societies
Rotating plots they can occupy an area over a long period of time
Semi permanent or permanent settlements ( people)
More complex division of labor
Specialized roles: crafts people, shamans or religious leaders, and traders
Create wide variety of artifacts
Inequalities in wealth and power
Hereditary chieftains
Economic and political systems are more developed- more settled way of life

7. Agricultural Society Agricultural Societies:
Animals used to plow fields
Technological innovation allows for plating of crops than possible when human labor is used
Irrigation
Terracing: cutting of fields into sides of hills
Support large populations
Specialized roles:
Leads to cities
Power often falls into one or a few individuals
Hereditary monarchy
Powerful armies

8. Agricultural Society
Construct roads; increase trade with sufficient transportation
Abandon barter system- exchange of good or service
Develop system of writing; keep records
Sharp status difference first arise: landowners or peasants
Landowners: power and wealth
Peasants: do all the work

9. Industrial Societies
Industrial Societies: emphasis shifts from food production to the production of manufactured goods
Made possible by changes in production methods
Preindustrial: animal human labor; small and slow
Industrial: Machines; a lot and fast
Increases the amount of food produced, increases population size
Reduces the demand for agricultural laborers
Size of the workforce increases as new technologies make it possible to produce a wider variety of goods

10. Industrial Societies
Location of work changes: from home settings to factories
Factories built in cities- people move to the cities
Urbanization: concentration of population in a city
Nature of work changes- from specialized of whole product to a series of specialization and different people perform different tasks
Increase productivity
Reduces the level of skill and create boredom

11. Industrial Societies Changes the role of various social institutions:
Preindustrial: family is primary; production and education is family responsibility
Industrial: production and education take pace outside of the home; need for mass literacy creates need for programs of mass education systems
Religion: scientific ideas challenge religious beliefs
Brings people more freedom to compete for social positions
Preindustrial: ascribed statuses
Industrial: achieved; more control over their social position in the social structure

12. Postindustrial Societies
Postindustrial Societies: economy is involved in providing and information and services
United States and Western Europe
73% of the workforce in U.S.; 2% agricultural and 25% in production of goods
Social changes:
Standard of living and quality of life improve as wages increase
Place strong emphasis on science and education
Technological advances are key to future prosperity
Rights of individuals and search for personal self fulfillment take added importance
Strong emphasis on social equality and democracy

13. Contrasting Societies
Mechanical solidarity: Durkheim- preindustrial societies held together
perform the same tasks, share the same values, become united in a common whole
Organic solidarity: Division of labor becomes more complex
impersonal social relationships that arise with increased job specialization, individuals can no longer provide for their own needs
Become more dependant on other individuals for aspects of their survival
Social relationships based on needs than values

14. Contrasting Societies
German sociologist: Ferdinand Tonnes
Two Ideal Types of societies based on social structure of social relationships and the degree of valued shared among societal members
Gemeinschaft: “community”
Most members know one another
Relationships are close
Activities center around the family and the community
Share a strong sense of group solidarity
Preindustrial village or rural society

15. Contrasting Societies
Gesellschaft: “society”
Social relationships based on need; impersonal and often temporary
Traditional values are often weak
Individual goals more important than the groups
Modern urban society in United States