States, State Societies

States, Statea state is an independent political entity with a centralized government and set geographical boundaries where control is exercised by police or military; a state claims the right to defend itself from both internal and external threats by use of force; a state may have many villages and cities and/or millions or billions of people as in China and India Societies is the final lesson in this series.  The first three lessons covered the evolutionthe gradual development of something from a simple to a more complex form; in nature the process by which different organisms develop and diversify from earlier forms during the history of the earth; Darwin's theory of natural selection seeks to explain the process of evolution of all organisms of cultureculture is not genetically inherited, it is shared, learned, and dynamic- never static from small bands to tribal cultures to great chiefdoms; but that does not mean that cultural evolution is not continuing.  There are many theories out there about where state societies may be headed, or if the world might evolve into “superstates.”  Some anthropologythe holistic study of humanity in its broadest context in all times and places, ancient and contemporary scholars think State societies may not be prominent in the future.  Following is a summary of the processes which have contributed to cultural evolution.  The summary is repetitive, but interesting to compare as you progress from one to the other.

Evolution of Culture – States, State Societies – Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives

After completing States and State Societies, Lesson 4, you will be able to:

1) Define state and civilizationa highly developed and advanced human society, associated with population density, writing and record-keeping, education, art, science, and complex political and social institutions and the associated characteristics and ways subsistencea method whereby humans are able to continue their existence; condition of being able to stay alive; practices that maintain survival practices have adapted to new cultural norms(cultural) norms are the shared expectations and rules that guide how people behave in a society or group, either formally or informally More

2) Define and understand stratified societiessocieties where people are formed into groups according to status or hierarchies and how populations become divided into class-based societies

3) Understand the complexity of differences of state societies versus bands, tribes, and chiefdoms

4) Understand how and why non-food-producers became needed as potters, blacksmiths, weavers, sculptors, architects, etc.

5) Understand that urbanizationthe process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more and more people begin living and working in the central areas contributes to a non-sustainable ecosystema community of living organisms in a specific area, interconnected through nutrient cycles and energy flows, functioning as a single unit More

Step 1.

Review:

1.  Bands:

Bands are small groups of people, numbering a dozen or more, who are kin-based, and forage for foodany nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plants absorb, in order to maintain life and growth as a way of making a living.  These hunter-gatherers were mobile and traveled long distances to find food.  They were egalitarianegalitarian does not mean "equal," rather it means equal access to resources for survival societies where all adults had equal access to resources for survival.  If they had a leader, he would have achieved his status by superior hunting, better decision making, or perhaps an engaging personality.  They shared food, and land resources with no specific ownerships; and they were dependent upon each other with no bureaucracy.

2.  Tribes:

As populations increased people began to form larger groups and perhaps established what we call a village or community.  Tribal peoples usually traveled less than bands and they may or may not have a fixed settlement.  Tribes are associated with pastoralisma way of making a living focused on domestication of animals, which includes herding and breeding; pastoralists are mobile, meaning they move their herds seasonally or to access available water holes or better food resources for their animals and agriculturecultivation of soil to grow food plants using technologies such as plowing, irrigation, terracing, fertilizers and harnessing power of domesticated animals for making a living; and they are more specialized hunters.  Though an egalitarian societya group of people who are all interdependent and interconnected by their cultural connections; they live in patterned ways and their behaviors in various circumstances are well established; for instance in the Western world most people adhere to lines (cue) at bus stops, or movie theaters, or when checking out at a grocery store; patterned and regular ways of doing things are expected and accepted, tribes often have “Big Men,” who have more influence than power, but still no bureaucracy.  Tribes can be very unstable if the community becomes hostile to the Big Mana male person in the tribe who is designated as someone who may solve problems and negotiate conflicts; this person has more influence than power and has no control over people's lives; the "Big Man" can also be overpowered and ousted for a number of reasons; therefore his influence may contribute to tribal instability and he may be rejected, or even ejected from the group altogether.  Other males may try to overthrow or even kill him.

3.  Chiefdoms:

As agriculture and domestication of animals became more prevalent in making a living, people were able to live more sedentary lives.  They did not need to be so mobile and could establish several villages, which became connected and interdependent, making social organizations much more complex.  It became necessary to have a chief or leader to be in charge, with perhaps a council of elders to help him make decisions for all.  Chiefs were not elected; they inherited their position and status and they had much more power, as well as influence, over those they had stewardship over.  Chiefs are generally revered and are not easily rejected.  They may have charge over many villages as Chief Caulker in Sierra Leone.  Anciently slaves were part of chiefdoms, but not so today.  There are still people who live in chiefdoms in many of the regions, which are designated as Global Villageson this site Global Villages are representatives of the 11 dominant culture regions, as designated by cultural geography maps.

4.  The Rise of States

From bands, to tribes, to chiefdoms, we begin to see the rise of states and nation-states, with many villages, towns, and cities.  This is the last lesson in this series, but that does not mean that populations and cultures are remaining stagnant.  They are still evolving into other forms of societies and cultures.  As tribal worlds became associated with chiefdoms and kingdoms, empires began to be built with more slaves and higher population densities.  From chiefs to kings and emperors societies have outgrown their limits and have collapsed as history has informed us about the ancient Egyptians, the Romans, the Maya and many other great civilizations.

So it is that civilizations are associated with states, which are now the most recognized form of social-cultural organization throughout the world – well not in the furthest North and the furthest South regions of the world. 🙂

Step 2.

Study the definitions and terms described above: state, civilization, stratified societies, non-food producersthose people in a society that do not produce food or do not work in the food producing industry; yet they must still be fed by society; such people might be blacksmiths, potters, artists, craftsmen, and urbanization.  These definitions and terms give you the foundation for the study of the rise in state societies.

Step 3.

Learn more about States, Nations, Countries, and Sovereignty and how they work – this film is helpful in understanding today’s world

Step 4.

Review the Power Point presentation which shows and tells of culture in perspective, with examples.  After clicking on the link, go up to the right-hand upper corner and click on the download button to view the PPT.

https://itsallaboutculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/22the-Political22-Organizations.pptx

Step 5.

Post a comment about whether you think the State can survive as a non-sustainable way of life in the 21st century and beyond.  What are your suggestions for “turning back the clock,” (if any) to more sustainable lifestyles and more egalitarian practices so more people can have access to resources for survival?  Remember egalitarian does not mean all people are equal in intellect, education, talent, skills, personality and charisma.  Review the definition of egalitarian if you need to before posting a comment.

Step 6.

Enjoy the following videos on the state of Spain in the European Global Villagethe European culture region includes Europe, excluding those parts where the Slavic language is dominant, but also includes Greenland along with islands associated with the region, which is a tourism video to inspire you to visit there.  The Nation-state of Australia in the Austral-European Global Villagethe Austral-European culture region includes Australia and New Zealand, which both have dominant European cultures and language, with its abundance of diverse wildlife, then the Nation state of China in the Sino-Japanese Global Villagethe Sino-Japanese culture region includes a large part of mainland China, North and South Korea, along with the Japanese islands and other smaller islands within the region - some islands are claimed by both China and Japan, things that you may not have realized about this very large state and its plans for the future, and last, Sierra Leone in the Sub-Saharan Africa Global VillageAfrica is divided into two separate culture regions: Sub-Saharan located below the Sahara Desert, and north of the Sahara, which is part of the Islamic culture region.  Sierra Leone is struggling to overcome the vast devastation caused by an eleven-year civil warWar:  A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. which ended in 2001.   These short films illustrate so much cultural diversitythe state of being diverse or different, variety and/or diversity is more than exhibiting "different" outward appearances; diversity is often much more about cultural differences among these Global Villages.  If you have visited these states recently, you may have your own videos; but for those who haven’t these are a treasure of information.

Summary of State Societies

https://anthroholic.com/state?srsltid=AfmBOorJ0n1e1dOf3IX9m2baCjbf-tcASiEEIr4TkwBK6ri2jcdF6V43

Step 7.

Review the Learning Objectives.  Make sure you understand and grasp the concepts and definitions before going on to Step 7.

Step 8.

Take the Cultural Evolution – States, State Societies QUIZ.

Step 9.  Optional

Go to States and State Societies Project – Fun Assignment.  Posting a comment is a substitute for this project.

Congratulations!  You are now more informed about “the Political” and how it relates to Cultural Evolution – via Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms, and States.