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POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):Social Norms, Informal Mechanisms

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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Lesson 27
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued)
Need for Social Control
All forms of political organization must provide means for social control. Every culture has defined what
are considered to be normal, proper or expected ways of behaving in society. These expected ways of
behaving are referred to as social norms.
Social norms range from etiquette to laws and imply different forms of enforcement and sanctions.
Breaking some social norms does not result in serious consequences whereas others can result in severe
punishment. Consider for example the consequence of taking another person's life or of stealing something.
Social Norms
All social norms are sanctioned to varying degrees according to the values held by different cultures.
Positive social norms reward people for behaving in socially expectable ways (ranging from praise or social
approval to awards or medals). Negative social norms punish people for violating the norms (ranging from
disapproval to corporal punishment).
Maintaining Social Control
Band and tribal societies (Inuit and Kung) maintain social control by means of informal mechanisms such
as socialization, public opinion, lineage obligations, age organizations and sanctions.
Societies control behavior by more formal mechanisms, such as through laws and law enforcement
agencies, whose major function is maintaining social order and resolving conflicts.
Social Control
Band and tribal societies (Inuit and Kung) maintain social control by means of informal mechanisms such
as socialization, public opinion, lineage obligations, age organizations and sanctions. Societies control
behavior by more formal mechanisms whose major function is maintaining social order and resolving
conflicts.
Informal Mechanisms
Socialization ensures that people are taught what their social norms are. Public opinion or social pressure
often serves as an effective mechanism to avoid censure and rejection. Age organization provides distinct
age categories with defined sets of social roles.
Formal Mechanisms
Song Duets: amongst the Inuits to settle disputes
Social Intermediaries: like the Leopard-skin Chief of the Neur in southern Sudan settles murder disputes
by property settlements
Moots: are formal airings of disputes involving kinsmen and friends of litigants and the adjudicating bodies
are ad hoc
Courts and Codified Laws: forbid individual use of force and provides legal frameworks established by
legislative bodies, interpreted by judicial bodies and implemented by administrative systems like law
enforcement agencies
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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ­ SOC401
VU
Useful Terms
Administrative systems: the system of government officials/bureaucrats who are responsible for running
public affairs
Judicial systems: the system of courts which interprets the laws
Legislative systems: systems which provide the laws for a particular society, often legislatures or legislative
assemblies are elected by the people of a particular locality, i.e. province or a state
Law enforcement agencies: agencies which enforce the law, like the police fro example
Litigants: aggrieved parties involved in a legal dispute
Ad Hoc: arbitrary, not following any established procedure
Suggested Readings
Students are advised to read the following chapters to develop a better understanding of the various
principals highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter 12 in `Cultural Anthropology: An Applied Perspective' by Ferrarro and/or Chapter 23 in `Anthropology' by
Ember and Pergrine
Internet Resources
In addition to reading from the textbook, please visit the following web-site for this lecture, which provide
useful and interesting information:
Social Control
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_control
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Table of Contents:
  1. WHAT IS ANTHROPOLOGY?:Cultural Anthropology, Internet Resources
  2. THE CONCEPT OF CULTURE AND THE APPLICATION OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
  3. MAJOR THEORIES IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Diffusionism
  4. GROWTH OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORY (continued):Post Modernism
  5. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Comments on Fieldwork
  6. METHODS IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):Census Taking
  7. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD
  8. ECONOMIC ANTHROPOLOGY (continued):THE DISTRIBUTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES
  9. FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE:Languages of the World, Structure of Language
  10. FOCUS ON LANGUAGE (continued):Levels of Complexity, Cultural Emphasis
  11. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURES:Optimal Foraging, Suggested Readings
  12. FOOD AND CULTURE (continued):Food Collectors, Food Production
  13. OBTAINING FOOD IN DIFFERENT CULTURE (continued):Pastoralism, Agriculture
  14. RELEVANCE OF KINSHIP AND DESCENT:Kinship Criteria, Rules of Descent
  15. KINSHIP AND DESCENT (continued):Tracing Descent, Primary Kinship Systems
  16. THE ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE:Economic Aspect of Marriage
  17. ROLE OF FAMILY AND MARRIAGE IN CULTURE (continued):Family Structures
  18. GENDER AND CULTURE:Gender Stratification, Suggested Readings
  19. GENDER ROLES IN CULTURE (continued):Women Employment, Feminization of Poverty
  20. STRATIFICATION AND CULTURE:Social Ranking, Dimensions of Inequality
  21. THEORIES OF STRATIFICATION (continued):The Functionalists, Conflict Theorists
  22. CULTURE AND CHANGE:Inventions, Diffusion, Donor, Conventional
  23. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Cultural Interrelations, Reaction to Change
  24. CULTURE AND CHANGE (continued):Planned Change, Globalization
  25. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION:Bands, Tribal Organizations, Chiefdoms
  26. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):State Systems, Nation-States
  27. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION (continued):Social Norms, Informal Mechanisms
  28. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE:Emotional Development, Psychological Universals
  29. PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE (continued):Origin of Customs, Personality Types
  30. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE:Ideology in Everyday Life, Hegemony
  31. IDEOLOGY AND CULTURE (Continued):Political ideologies, Economic Ideology
  32. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES:Variation in Associations, Age Sets
  33. ASSOCIATIONS, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES (continued):Formation of Associations
  34. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE:Similarity in Human Adaptations
  35. RACE, ETHNICITY AND CULTURE (continued):Inter-group Relations
  36. CULTURE AND BELIEFS:Social Function of Religion, Politics and Beliefs
  37. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE:Changing Definitions of Local Knowledge
  38. LOCAL OR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE (continued):The Need for Caution
  39. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT:Influence of Development Notions
  40. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Contentions in Development
  41. ANTHROPOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (Continued):Operational
  42. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART:Relevance of Art, Art and Politics
  43. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND ART (continued):Art as a Status Symbol
  44. ETHICS IN ANTHROPOLOGY:Ethical Condemnation, Orientalism
  45. RELEVANCE OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY:Ensuring Cultural Survival