In the book Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart, there are various examples where kinship can be seen as the main integrating force. Following the main character, Isherwood Williams, through his journey to salvation, kinship emerges as the first institution after the great disaster. Towards the end of chapter 6, when Ish meets Em, the kinship institution informally begins. As these two begin to develop a new generation, starting with their two first two kids, John and Mary, and start including people into their community, the kinship institution begins to grow. In addition, in year sixteen, the children of Em and Molly get married, further expanding the kinship, making it extended and uniting both Ish’s and Ezra’s family. The family structure
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However, as the population began to increase, kinship could no longer handle the cultural reproduction, resulting in the emergence of the education system. Tuner defines this institution as “The systematic organization of formal student-teacher instruction, revolving around an explicit curriculum and involving ritualized student passage, that has consequences among the members of a population for social reproduction, cultural storage, social placement, conflict management and social transformation”. Not only would education address the pressures of social reproduction, it would also deal with regulation pressures associated with polity. In reality, all the institutions and their selection pressures are interconnected. As mentioned, education emerged when kinship could no longer handle the social reproduction pressures as well as when polity needed support in regulation. Education has three main elements: a system of formalized instruction, an explicit curriculum and a form of ritualized passage. Formalized instruction required the roles of two status positions: the teacher and student, with these roles learning is formalized. The explicit curriculum allows for subject matter to be taught. After gaining the knowledge required by the set curriculum, students would take part in a ritualized passage that acknowledged their acquired skills. However, the education system was not merely used for passing down …show more content…
For example, in hunting and gathering societies, education is quite informal whereas in an advanced agrarian society it is formal and more complex. In hunting and gathering societies education is “recessive” meaning that it is not formally taught. Instead, kids learn by observing their elders do certain roles (like hunting or gathering) while in advanced agrarian societies, kids are formally educated and have an explicit curriculum to follow. In hunting and gathering societies, children are expected to be “independent and self reliant” instead of dependent on their elders. However, in agrarian societies much of the education system depends on obedience. Turner continues to state that education in more complex societies is formalized compared to that of a hunting and gathering society. Because in a hunting and gathering society children are taught the basic roles needed in their community, there is no need for a complex and extended system of education, making it informal. In the same manner as the other institutions, this has changed over time, but continues to change depending on the society and its
However, as the population began to increase, kinship could no longer handle the cultural reproduction, resulting in the emergence of the education system. Tuner defines this institution as “The systematic organization of formal student-teacher instruction, revolving around an explicit curriculum and involving ritualized student passage, that has consequences among the members of a population for social reproduction, cultural storage, social placement, conflict management and social transformation”. Not only would education address the pressures of social reproduction, it would also deal with regulation pressures associated with polity. In reality, all the institutions and their selection pressures are interconnected. As mentioned, education emerged when kinship could no longer handle the social reproduction pressures as well as when polity needed support in regulation. Education has three main elements: a system of formalized instruction, an explicit curriculum and a form of ritualized passage. Formalized instruction required the roles of two status positions: the teacher and student, with these roles learning is formalized. The explicit curriculum allows for subject matter to be taught. After gaining the knowledge required by the set curriculum, students would take part in a ritualized passage that acknowledged their acquired skills. However, the education system was not merely used for passing down …show more content…
For example, in hunting and gathering societies, education is quite informal whereas in an advanced agrarian society it is formal and more complex. In hunting and gathering societies education is “recessive” meaning that it is not formally taught. Instead, kids learn by observing their elders do certain roles (like hunting or gathering) while in advanced agrarian societies, kids are formally educated and have an explicit curriculum to follow. In hunting and gathering societies, children are expected to be “independent and self reliant” instead of dependent on their elders. However, in agrarian societies much of the education system depends on obedience. Turner continues to state that education in more complex societies is formalized compared to that of a hunting and gathering society. Because in a hunting and gathering society children are taught the basic roles needed in their community, there is no need for a complex and extended system of education, making it informal. In the same manner as the other institutions, this has changed over time, but continues to change depending on the society and its