Defining ‘the political’
IB Anthropology
UWC Costa Rica
Defining Political Organisation
‘Political organization comprises those portions
of social organization that specifically relate to
the individuals or groups that manage the
affairs of public policy or seek to control the
appointment or activities of those individuals or
groups’
(Fried 1967, pp. 20–21)
• How does this definition
apply to states today?
• Is it as applicable to
non-states as states?
• Is it easier to speak of
‘socio-political’
organisation
Elman Service (1962)
• 4 types (levels) of political
organisation
• Band
• Tribe
• Chiefdom
• State
• Notice any problems?
• Band, tribe and chiefdom
cannot be studied as selfcontained political systems
Yet some more definitions…
• Band - refers to a
small kin-based group
(all its members are
related by kinship or
marriage) found
among foragers
Yet some more definitions…
• Tribe - economies based on
non-intensive food production
(horticulture and pastoralism).
• Living in villages and
organized into kin groups
based on common descent
(clans and lineage —see the
next chapter), tribes lacked a
formal government and had no
reliable means of enforcing
political decisions
Yet some more definitions…
• Chiefdom- a form of sociopolitical organization
intermediate between the tribe and the state. In
chiefdoms, social relations were based mainly on
kinship, marriage, descent, age, generation, and
gender—just as they were in bands and tribes.
• Although chiefdoms were kin-based, they featured
differential access to resources (some people had
more wealth, prestige, and power than others did)
and a permanent political structure.
Yet some more definitions…
• State- a form of
sociopolitical
organization based on
a formal government
structure and
socioeconomic
stratification
What is a major problem with Service’s
fourfold typography?
•
The four labels in Service’s typology are
much too simple to account for the full range
of political diversity and complexity known to
archaeology and ethnography. We’ll see, for
instance, that tribes have varied widely in
their political systems and institutions.
•
Nevertheless, Service’s typology does
highlight some significant contrasts in
political organization, especially those
between states and non-states. For
example, in bands and tribes—unlike states,
which have clearly visible governments—
political organization did not stand out as
separate and distinct from the total social
order. In bands and tribes, it was difficult to
characterize an act or event as political
rather than merely social.
Direct quote from Kottak (p.116)