Political
Realities
Lesson 7:
Human Political Systems
Politics
• Politics refers to a wide set of social practices
including:
• Selecting a leader to make decisions and accomplish
tasks
• This can be a government or an individual
• Also maintains social order and deals with outsiders
• Another key function of politics is to distribute
power
Power
• Many definitions:
• The book states – “power is a generalized capacity to
transform”
• Our definition –
• “The ability to achieve a goal despite resistance.”
• Thus, if you have power, you have the ability to
exercise your will over others
The Forms of Power
• Authority
• Socially approved use of power
• Power can exist without authority
• Direct and Indirect
• Direct power (or coercive) involves using force
• Indirect power (or persuasive) involves argument and
ideology
Hegemony
• Hegemony is a form of indirect power
• Antonio Gramsci
• Observed that groups cannot constantly maintain
power through force
• Power has to be maintained through ideological
means
• Hegemony is an ideological form of power
• Explains the right to rule
• Justifies inequality
Forms of Political Organization
• Bands
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Small scale groups
Food foragers
Egalitarian
Who is their leader?
• Tribes
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Smaller units of people linked together
Food producers
Some social distinctions
Who is their leader?
Forms of Political Organization
• Chiefdoms
– Much larger groups
– Egalitarianism completely eroded
– Who is their leader?
• States
– Clearly defined geographic territory
• Defends from external threat with a military and internal
disorder with a police force
– Rigid hierarchy
– Controlled by a government
Bureaucracy
• Max Weber’s 6 key elements of bureaucracy
• Specialization
• Hierarchy
• A Public Office
• Rules and Regulation
• Technical Competence
• Impersonality
• Do they always work perfectly?
Exam Review Questions
•
What is the function of politics as a social institution?
– What is the definition of the following forms of political organization?
• Bands
• Tribes
• Chiefdoms
• State
– What is a nation? How does this differ from a state?
– What types of leaders does Marvin Harris identify in “Life Without Chiefs”?
– What is bureaucracy?
• What are Weber’s six theoretical components?
– What did Antonio Gramsci call the indirect power that he identified?