Test 3: Chapters 8 & 9

Question 1

Who was Margaret Mead?

Answer 1

Wrote “Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies”, was one of the first people to research on gender characteristics. are they universal?

Question 2

What was Mead’s “Sex and Temperament” about?

Answer 2

She studied three different groups in New Guinea and found that gender is a cultural construction.

Question 3

Who are the Hijra?

Answer 3

Ambiguous gender role in India, seen as valued members of society. they are born male and act like women.

Question 4

How do the Inis Beag view sex?

Answer 4

Sexually naive, sex is endured, weakens men.

Question 5

How does Mangaia view sex?

Answer 5

Formal instruction, practice, jokes, stil segregated in public.

Question 6

What is gender hierarchy?

Answer 6

The way that gender activities are related to the distribution of resources, power and prestige in a society.

Question 7

What is the public/private dichotomy?

Answer 7

How men’s roles have traditionally been more public and more associated with prestige and reward.

Question 8

How do cultures differ in sexuality?

Answer 8

Age that sexuality begins/ends, what is attractive, erotic, homosexual. importance of sex.

Question 9

What is authority?

Answer 9

ability to cause others to act, given by the group. honor, status, knowledge.

Question 10

what is power?

Answer 10

ability to make someone act. coercion, force.

Question 11

What are the two types of social control?

Answer 11

Informal (gossip, fear of witchcraft, shaming, karma) and formal (things that are formally established; laws, jails, courts).

Question 12

What is a rank society?

Answer 12

no social stratification, but there is potential status based on kinship or skill. recognition of accomplishments. everyone is still relatively equal in wealth. Tribes: horitculturalists, pastoralists.

Question 13

What is an egalitarian society?

Answer 13

no individual group has much more wealth/power/prestige. They differentiate but no social stratification. Bands: foragers.

Question 14

What is a stratified society?

Answer 14

Based on inequality, differentiates on everything. Class (open) system: you earn your status. Caste (closed) system: you cannot change your status. based on things you can’t control (age, sex, race, family).

Question 15

What is social stratification?

Answer 15

institutionalized system that divides society into a series of ranked groups that are differentiated by their access to basic resources, wealth/power.

Question 16

What is “berdache” or two spirit?

Answer 16

An alternative gender role in native North America for people who associate with both genders.

Question 17

What is the band level of political organization?

Answer 17

foragers, kin-based, egalitarian, everyone is equal. decisions made by whole group, leaders cannot enforce, only persuade (authority).

Question 18

What is the tribe level of political organization?

Answer 18

Egalitarian, “bigman”, horticuluralists/pastoralists. resources are owned, social pressure from own family

Question 19

How to tribes differentiate?

Answer 19

Age sets, age grades, secret societies, warrior societies.

Question 20

What is a chiefdom?

Answer 20

Agricultural, centralized, formal authority, professions, multi-community, one city/group over all. chiefs are also religious leaders/warriors (power & authority).

Question 21

What is a state?

Answer 21

Stratified, central government w/ monopoly over use of force. formal social control, symbols of power. craft specialization.

Question 22

What is the functional theory of social stratification?

Answer 22

Durkheim. Societies are holistic systems, each aspect has a function. ensures that best people occupy the most important positions, must be rewarded highly to ensure competition and effort.

Question 23

What is the conflict theory of social stratification?

Answer 23

Marx. society is held together by conflict and unequal power made up of groups with varying ideas and interests. power of one group over others maintains order. Dominant group uses power to benefit themselves, not always in best interest of the group.