Lesson 2

Sociocultural and Political

Evolution:
The Development of Societies
from the Hunting and
Gathering to the Agricultural,
Industrial, and Post-Industrial
Stages
Gerhard Lenski- an
American Sociologist argued
that human society
undergoes transformation
and evolution and in the
process develops
technological advancement.

“the more technology a

society has, the faster it
changes”
HuntingandGatheringSocieties

• The oldest and

most basic way
of economic
subsistence.
 making use of simple tools
to hunt animals and gather
vegetation for food
 depend on the family to do
many things
 although women and men
perform different tasks,
most hunters and
gatherers probably see the
sexes as having about the
same social importance
(Leacock, 1978)
 people come close to
being socially equal
Horticulturaland` PastoralSocieties
 large-scale cultivation using plows
harnessed to animals or more
powerful energy sources
 money as a common standard of
exchange, and the old barter
system was abandoned
 extreme social inequality, typically
more than modern societies such
as our own
 agriculture raises men to a
position of social dominance
 religion reinforces the power of
elites
AgriculturalSocietiesandthe
NeolithicRevolution
• Human began to farm and domesticate
animals.
• Animal domestication provided important
contributions to the Neolithic people.
• The development of agriculture also led to
an increase in social inequality
IndustrialSocieties
• the production of goods using
advanced sources of energy to
drive large machinery
• water power and then steam
boilers to operate mills and
factories filled with large
machines
• change was so rapid that it
sparked the birth of sociology
itself
• weakening of close working
relationships, strong family ties,
and many of the traditional
Post-IndustrialSocieties
 the production of information
using computer technology
 less and less labour force
 the postindustrial society is at
the heart of globalization
 technology has improved life
and brought the world's people
closer but establishing peace,
ensuring justice, and protecting
the environment are problems
that technology alone cannot
solve
 Characteristics:
• Transfer of labor workforce from
manufacturing to service
• A significant increase in the number of
professional and technical employment
and a decline in the number of skilled and
semiskilled workers
• Education as the basis of social mobility
• Human capital
• Application of “intellectual technology”
• Focus on communication infrastructure
• Knowledge as source of invention and
innovation
 Political Evolution
and the Development of
Early Civilization
 Four Major Civilizations

• Sumerian
• Indus Valley
• Shang
• Egyptian
• Developed and highly advanced cities
• Well-defined city centers
• Complex and systematic institutions
• Organized and centralized system of
government
• Formalized and complex form of religion
• Job specialization
• Development of Social classes
• Advance technology
• System of writing and recording
 AsaPoliticalleader….
• Craft laws
• Implement laws
• Impose justice and punishment
• Collect taxes
• Sometimes act as religious leaders as well
SocialandPoliticalSystems