How many types of society of human beings have you ever heard about? “The society we live in did not spring up overnight; human societies have evolved slowly over many millennia. However, throughout history, technological developments have sometimes brought about dramatic change that has propelled human society into its next age” (Sparknotes, n.d.). In the lecture “Introduction to Social Anthropology (1): Types of Society”, which is the first attempt with primitive films and computer equipment in Cambridge University, Macfarlane (1998) introduces four types of societies divided by social anthropologists at that time. Macfarlane’s analysis of various characteristics and features of societies let people realize the existential crisis to Hunter-Gather
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According to Macfarlane, all the people who ever lived on this planet ninety per sent have been hunters and gatherers because a long history, and around 10,000 years ago, the whole of the earth are available for hunters and gatherers, but now they are pushed into the marginal lands. In addition, Macfarlane brings up two major types of Hunters and Gatherers Society regarding whether people store and consume food immediately or not. One is the Immediate Return Group, who do not store what they found, and consume the food soon. Another one is the Delayed Return Group, they store their food and eat them at late date. Macfarlane also summarizes the features of Hunter-Gather Society. They have light population, and their bands consist of fluid membership around twenty-five to fifty people. There is no ranks, classes, rituals, religions, and formal groups in their society. Also, they divide the labor based on gender. What is more, their tools and methods to sustain are really simple, they only use hands and simple weapons to hunt and gather food; wildly plant plants. Second, Macfarlane demonstrates the features of Tribal Society. In this type of society, …show more content…
However, in modern societies, they are forced to certain remote lands, where are not suitable for agricultural production, like forests in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and Madagascar. Many specialists have noticed that those people who rely on hunting and gathering are on the edge of extinction. Personally, I think there are two aspects result in their existential crisis. Firstly, it is the external factor. “For most of the modern period, settled cultures have done their best to eradicate and erase these people from the planet. Indigenous hunters and gatherers have been variously slaughtered, hunted for sport, allied and betrayed, enslaved, infected, converted or simply forced out of their homes by the forces of colonialism”(Elodie Under Glass, 2012). Another point is the internal factor, in Hunter-Gather Society; most people depend on utilizing their hands and simple weapons to subsistence, which poses obstacles to food production. Additionally, they do not have enough ability to cope with natural disasters and fatal diseases so that they have less chance to survive than people in modern
According to Macfarlane, all the people who ever lived on this planet ninety per sent have been hunters and gatherers because a long history, and around 10,000 years ago, the whole of the earth are available for hunters and gatherers, but now they are pushed into the marginal lands. In addition, Macfarlane brings up two major types of Hunters and Gatherers Society regarding whether people store and consume food immediately or not. One is the Immediate Return Group, who do not store what they found, and consume the food soon. Another one is the Delayed Return Group, they store their food and eat them at late date. Macfarlane also summarizes the features of Hunter-Gather Society. They have light population, and their bands consist of fluid membership around twenty-five to fifty people. There is no ranks, classes, rituals, religions, and formal groups in their society. Also, they divide the labor based on gender. What is more, their tools and methods to sustain are really simple, they only use hands and simple weapons to hunt and gather food; wildly plant plants. Second, Macfarlane demonstrates the features of Tribal Society. In this type of society, …show more content…
However, in modern societies, they are forced to certain remote lands, where are not suitable for agricultural production, like forests in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and Madagascar. Many specialists have noticed that those people who rely on hunting and gathering are on the edge of extinction. Personally, I think there are two aspects result in their existential crisis. Firstly, it is the external factor. “For most of the modern period, settled cultures have done their best to eradicate and erase these people from the planet. Indigenous hunters and gatherers have been variously slaughtered, hunted for sport, allied and betrayed, enslaved, infected, converted or simply forced out of their homes by the forces of colonialism”(Elodie Under Glass, 2012). Another point is the internal factor, in Hunter-Gather Society; most people depend on utilizing their hands and simple weapons to subsistence, which poses obstacles to food production. Additionally, they do not have enough ability to cope with natural disasters and fatal diseases so that they have less chance to survive than people in modern