Human society has evolve from time to time, since the Primitive hunting and Gathering society to Modern Electronic age. Human beings have lived in various types of groups under different circumstances. We may be member of a number of voluntary groups such as Political parties, club, and labor unions.
Famous sociologist Gerhard and Lenski (1982) define five types of societies which has evolve from time to time.
1. Hunting and Gathering Societies:
The earliest band of men did not know how to raise crops or animals. they hunted wild animals and collected plants and fruits from wild. Since they occupied small areas and had limited resources, their number were also small. The division of labor was very simple; men, women, and children participated in food gathering.
There were no schools or teachers ; all knowledge was transmitted by the family. there was no competition for wealth and power. With no accumulation of wealth, class distinctions were minimal and the social structure was somewhat egalitarian. Today very few hunting and gathering societies are exist like Australian Aborigines, Zaroa tribe etc
2. Horticulture Societies:
Almost 12,000 years ago people in the Near East began to domesticate animals and cultivate crops. This meant that hunter-gatherers could now supplement their food sources by rising crops in small areas. the knowledge of agriculture practices was so limited that people often adopted slash-and-burn strategy. The size of the community and the surplus quantity of food also meant that some individuals could be freed from the task of food production.
There emerged full time craftsmen who devoted their time to developing better tools and shamans who took care of the 'religious' needs of the community. With the growth in the size of the communities, some form of leadership emerged, and wealthy individuals became chieftains.
The Yanomamo of Brazil is often studied as a Horticultural Society.
3. Pastoral Societies:
Whereas horticultural societies developed in the fertile regions of the world, pastoral societies developed in arid regions of North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia where people began to domesticate large herds of animals such as cattle, sheep, goat, and camels.
Pastoralists were also became as nomads at least part of the year but their migratory movements depended on the various seasons of the year. they also generated regular surplus and traded with settled communities. those who owned large amount of land and other resources were wealthy and many were workers who just tended to the animals. Pastorals societies continued to endure in regions where land was not fit for cultivation. Even today southern Iran and Uganda are example of some pastoral societies.
4. Agrarian Societies :
On the fertile river valleys of Mesopotamia, India, and China, and later in other parts of the world, people began large-scale cultivation of crops. The invention of metal and development of better tools such as the plow made it possible to till the soil and raise crops year after year. People also began to use animal power for cultivation of crops and transportation of produce. The agrarian revolution also led to the development of first cities. Growth of large cities meant political organization of society and patterns of authority structure. Large numbers of people were freed from the everyday chores of production and distribution. This meant the emergence of new roles and increasing specialization of functions. Rulers, administrators, craftsmen, particularly blacksmiths, potters, weavers, and carpenters - medicine men, religious leaders, artists, and entertainers appeared. Agrarian societies also witnessed rapid expansion of human knowledge in the field of science, mathematics, philosophy, and literature. The state grew in power and took control of all public services such as roads, irrigation systems, and community halls and began to codify rules and regulations. Traditions and conventions in the previous societies now became a codified legal system. Although the family remained an important institution, other social institutions such as schools, religious organizations, and crafts centers began to assume many functions of the families. As the importance of landed property grew, wealth became concentrated in the hands of a few elites and the class system began to take root. Today, many societies of the world remain agrarian but they have also been transformed by the onslaught of the industrial and technological revolution.
5. Industrial and Post - industrial Societies:
The Industrial Revolution, which occurred almost 200 years ago, greatly transformed old agrarian societies. Inanimate sources of energy, which replaced animal energy, made it possible for factories to turn out manufactured goods in large quantities. The steam engine was first used in England in 1765 to run machinery. Factories looking for a large labor force began to suck in workers from rural communities. With the breakdown of feudal society masses of people were thrown off the land on which they had been tenants for generations. Individuals no longer depended solely on their families, kinfolk, or small communities to provide their livelihood; they could work in big factories in urban centers. They became not only financially independent but were freed from many communal and cultural obligations. Industrialization is the single most important factor in the growth of cities and general economic development. There was considerable expansion of knowledge in the areas of science, technology, education, medicine, art, entertainment, literature, and philosophy. As the concentration of wealth grew, the class system became fully established and the gap between the rich and the poor began to widen. Centralized governments expanded their role affecting almost every realm of human activity. With increasing differentiation of social structure and functional specialization, individuals became free to choose from among numerous occupations; thus achieved status became far more important than ascribed status. In general, the Industrial Revolution led to large - scale rural - urban migration, spurred economic growth, and brought about the somewhat total transformation of agrarian societies.
◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆
○Like our Facebook page
○ For any Doubt contact us
- By HUB SOCIOLOGY
Comments
Post a Comment