Question 1

Discuss ways in which order is maintained in societies that lack chiefs and rulers.

Accepted Answer

In societies that lack chiefs and rulers, order is often maintained through a variety of social and cultural mechanisms. One way in which order is maintained is through the establishment of strong social norms and values. These norms and values guide individual behavior and help to ensure that members of the society act in ways that are beneficial to the community as a whole.

Another way in which order is maintained is through the use of informal leadership structures. While these societies may not have formal chiefs or rulers, they often have individuals who are respected and influential within the community. These individuals may help to mediate disputes, provide guidance, and help to ensure that the community functions smoothly.

Additionally, many societies without chiefs and rulers rely on systems of reciprocity and mutual aid. Members of the community are expected to support one another in times of need, and this mutual support helps to maintain social cohesion and order.

Finally, some societies without chiefs and rulers may also use systems of conflict resolution and justice that are based on consensus and community input. Disputes are often resolved through dialogue and negotiation, with the goal of reaching a resolution that is acceptable to all parties involved.

Overall, while societies without chiefs and rulers may lack formal hierarchical structures, they often have a variety of social and cultural mechanisms in place to maintain order and ensure the smooth functioning of the community.

Question 2

Despite the analytical usefulness of learning about anthropologist Elman Service's typology of political organization into bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states, it is important to remember that

Accepted Answer

A)  Bronislaw Malinowski first came up with this typology. 
B)  it applies to only the reality of societies in the so-called Third World. 
C)  none of these political entities, or polities, can be studied as a self-contained form of political organization, because all exist within nation-states. 
D)  it has no practical value in ethnographic research, only in theoretical anthropology. 
E)  people all over the world vocally reject being classified under such a typology and typically express their anger through hidden transcripts. 
A)  Bronislaw Malinowski first came up with this typology. 
B)  it applies to only the reality of societies in the so-called Third World. 
C)  none of these political entities, or polities, can be studied as a self-contained form of political organization, because all exist within nation-states. 
D)  it has no practical value in ethnographic research, only in theoretical anthropology. 
E)  people all over the world vocally reject being classified under such a typology and typically express their anger through hidden transcripts. C

Question 3

Modern hunter-gatherers should not be seen as representative of Stone Age peoples, all of whom were also foragers. Why?

Accepted Answer

Modern hunter-gatherers should not be seen as representative of Stone Age peoples for several reasons:

1. **Cultural Evolution**: Human societies have undergone significant cultural evolution since the Stone Age. The beliefs, practices, and technologies of modern foragers have been influenced by thousands of years of human development, including interactions with agricultural and industrial societies.

2. **Environmental Changes**: The environments in which modern hunter-gatherers live are often drastically different from those of the Stone Age due to climate change, the extinction of certain animal species, deforestation, and other ecological shifts. These changes can greatly affect the resources available and the strategies needed to survive.

3. **Geographical Marginalization**: Many modern hunter-gatherers have been pushed into marginal environments by agricultural and industrial societies. Stone Age foragers often had access to more abundant and diverse resources before the spread of agriculture and urbanization.

4. **Technological Influences**: Modern foragers may use tools and materials that were not available in the Stone Age, such as metal knives, guns, or manufactured goods obtained through trade or other interactions with non-foraging societies.

5. **Genetic and Health Differences**: The genetic makeup of modern humans has evolved since the Stone Age, potentially affecting physical abilities, disease resistance, and other factors relevant to a foraging lifestyle. Additionally, modern hunter-gatherers may have different health profiles due to changes in diet, lifestyle, and access to medical care.

6. **Social and Political Context**: The social and political structures within which modern hunter-gatherers operate are influenced by the presence of nation-states, global economies, and legal systems that did not exist during the Stone Age. These structures can impact the way foraging is practiced and regulated.

7. **Knowledge Transmission**: The accumulation and transmission of knowledge over millennia mean that modern foragers may have a very different understanding of the world compared to their Stone Age ancestors. This includes knowledge about geography, other cultures, and survival strategies.

8. **Selective Representation**: The modern hunter-gatherer groups that have been studied by anthropologists may not be representative of the diversity of foraging lifestyles that existed in the Stone Age. Many foraging cultures have been lost to history, and those that remain may not reflect the full range of past human experiences.

In summary, while modern hunter-gatherers can provide valuable insights into some aspects of foraging lifestyles, they are not direct analogs of Stone Age peoples. The differences in environment, technology, social structures, and historical context mean that modern foragers should be understood on their own terms, rather than as living fossils of the past.

Question 4

Stratum endogamy is restricted to chiefdoms, wherein chiefs occupied a formal elite stratum in society.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Pantribal sodalities function to integrate the community by providing a series of important nonkin relationships.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Which of the following statements about political leaders in foraging bands is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  They maintain power by keeping up strong ties with the commoner class. 
B)  They have inherited special access to strategic resources. 
C)  They maintain control by conquering foreign territories. 
D)  They have no means of forcing people to follow their decisions. 
E)  They are the most dominant males in the largest, most powerful descent group. 
A)  They maintain power by keeping up strong ties with the commoner class. 
B)  They have inherited special access to strategic resources. 
C)  They maintain control by conquering foreign territories. 
D)  They have no means of forcing people to follow their decisions. 
E)  They are the most dominant males in the largest, most powerful descent group.

Question 7

The Qashqai and Basseri peoples are examples of nomadic foragers who live in modern-day Iran.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

As a stark reminder that no society truly is isolated, this chapter's "Appreciating Diversity" segment describes how various levels of political regulation-local, regional, national, and international-now determine how contemporary people such as the Venezuelan Yanomami live their lives. All of the following are examples of this, EXCEPT that

Accepted Answer

A)  in 2005, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez expelled foreign missionaries working among the Yanomami, accusing them of espionage. 
B)  both the Yanomami and government workers such as nurses and doctors depend on the military to provide transportation in and out of the rain forest. 
C)  Yanomami leaders argue that since the expulsion of the missionaries in 2005 they have been neglected by the Venezuelan government. 
D)  In 2005, the Venezuelan government created the Yanomami Health Plan, with an aim to train some Yanomami to be health workers in their villages while sending doctors into the jungle to provide health care to remote communities. 
E)  Yanomami leaders have been expelled by their own communities because of accusations of sorcery. 
A)  in 2005, Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez expelled foreign missionaries working among the Yanomami, accusing them of espionage. 
B)  both the Yanomami and government workers such as nurses and doctors depend on the military to provide transportation in and out of the rain forest. 
C)  Yanomami leaders argue that since the expulsion of the missionaries in 2005 they have been neglected by the Venezuelan government. 
D)  In 2005, the Venezuelan government created the Yanomami Health Plan, with an aim to train some Yanomami to be health workers in their villages while sending doctors into the jungle to provide health care to remote communities. 
E)  Yanomami leaders have been expelled by their own communities because of accusations of sorcery.

Question 9

Contrast two of the following as political regulators:

Accepted Answer

A)  sodalities based on age and gender; 
B)  village headmen; 
C)  village councils; 
D)  big men; and 
E)  pantribal sodalities. 
A)  sodalities based on age and gender; 
B)  village headmen; 
C)  village councils; 
D)  big men; and 
E)  pantribal sodalities.

Question 10

Since bands lack formalized law, they have no way of settling disputes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

In an ethnographic field study of political systems in northern Mozambique, Nicholas Kottak found that avoiding shame can be an effective control against breaking social norms. This example of how shame can be a powerful social sanction

Accepted Answer

A)  is unique among ethnographic cases illustrating the variety of sociopolitical systems that exist in the world today. 
B)  is often a key component of the formal processes of social control. 
C)  is evidence that shame is a cultural universal. 
D)  is an indication that women tend to suffer from the consequences of shame more than men do. 
E)  joins the work of many other anthropologists that cite the importance of informal processes of social control, including gossip and stigma. 
A)  is unique among ethnographic cases illustrating the variety of sociopolitical systems that exist in the world today. 
B)  is often a key component of the formal processes of social control. 
C)  is evidence that shame is a cultural universal. 
D)  is an indication that women tend to suffer from the consequences of shame more than men do. 
E)  joins the work of many other anthropologists that cite the importance of informal processes of social control, including gossip and stigma.

Question 12

Anthropologist Susan Kent notes a tendency to stereotype foragers, to treat them all as alike. They used to be stereotyped as isolated, primitive survivors of the Stone Age. Another, more recent, common stereotype of foragers sees them as

Accepted Answer

A)  peaceful individuals in touch with their inner selves. 
B)  culturally deprived people forced by states, colonialism, or world events into marginalized environments. 
C)  ideal humans with the perfect diet and rhythm of life. 
D)  not isolated at all but living in nation-states and an interlinked world. 
E)  primitive survivors not of the Stone Age but the Bronze Age. 
A)  peaceful individuals in touch with their inner selves. 
B)  culturally deprived people forced by states, colonialism, or world events into marginalized environments. 
C)  ideal humans with the perfect diet and rhythm of life. 
D)  not isolated at all but living in nation-states and an interlinked world. 
E)  primitive survivors not of the Stone Age but the Bronze Age.

Question 13

According to Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault, it is easier and more effective to dominate people in their minds than to try to control their bodies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

What factors are responsible for the variable development of political regulation and authority structures among pastoralists?

Accepted Answer

The variable development of political re

Question 15

Most band and tribal societies in the world today are completely cut off from the rest of the world.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

The influential sociologist Max Weber defined which three related dimensions of social stratification?

Accepted Answer

A)  wealth, power, and prestige 
B)  cultural capital, power, and population control 
C)  superordinate, ordinate, and subordinate 
D)  judiciary, enforcement, and fiscal 
E)  selfishness, greed, and ignorance 
A)  wealth, power, and prestige 
B)  cultural capital, power, and population control 
C)  superordinate, ordinate, and subordinate 
D)  judiciary, enforcement, and fiscal 
E)  selfishness, greed, and ignorance

Question 17

Social controls refers to the fields of the social system-beliefs, practices, and institutions- that are most actively involved in the maintenance of norms and the regulation of conflict.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Which of the following is the most important factor in determining an individual's power and prestige in a state?

Accepted Answer

A)  personality 
B)  ancestry 
C)  speaking ability 
D)  anthropomorphism 
E)  physical size 
A)  personality 
B)  ancestry 
C)  speaking ability 
D)  anthropomorphism 
E)  physical size

Question 19

This chapter's description of the Makua of Mozambique illustrates the combination of newer and more traditional characteristics of the Makua's formal political system. Give three examples of how the formal and traditional systems mix. Would the duality of the Makua system have been revealed had the analysis of this community focused only on the formal aspects of social control?

Accepted Answer

The formal and traditional systems of th

Question 20

In bands, the leader occupies an official office with coercive control over the members of the community.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 17: Political Systems

Discuss ways in which order is maintained in societies that lack chiefs and rulers.

Despite the analytical usefulness of learning about anthropologist Elman Service's typology of political organization into bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states, it is important to remember that

Modern hunter-gatherers should not be seen as representative of Stone Age peoples, all of whom were also foragers. Why?

Stratum endogamy is restricted to chiefdoms, wherein chiefs occupied a formal elite stratum in society.

Pantribal sodalities function to integrate the community by providing a series of important nonkin relationships.

Which of the following statements about political leaders in foraging bands is true?

The Qashqai and Basseri peoples are examples of nomadic foragers who live in modern-day Iran.

Contrast two of the following as political regulators:

Since bands lack formalized law, they have no way of settling disputes.

In an ethnographic field study of political systems in northern Mozambique, Nicholas Kottak found that avoiding shame can be an effective control against breaking social norms. This example of how shame can be a powerful social sanction

Anthropologist Susan Kent notes a tendency to stereotype foragers, to treat them all as alike. They used to be stereotyped as isolated, primitive survivors of the Stone Age. Another, more recent, common stereotype of foragers sees them as

According to Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault, it is easier and more effective to dominate people in their minds than to try to control their bodies.

What factors are responsible for the variable development of political regulation and authority structures among pastoralists?

Most band and tribal societies in the world today are completely cut off from the rest of the world.

The influential sociologist Max Weber defined which three related dimensions of social stratification?

Social controls refers to the fields of the social system-beliefs, practices, and institutions- that are most actively involved in the maintenance of norms and the regulation of conflict.

Which of the following is the most important factor in determining an individual's power and prestige in a state?

In bands, the leader occupies an official office with coercive control over the members of the community.

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