Governance

What is meant by Govern

Instruments of governance:

Authority, social monopoly on violence -power and force

Authorization/Authority - ideology about sources/legitimation of force

• Traditional - looking to myth, history, transcendent
• Rational/legal - intent of society structured into its agents/offices/bureaucracies
• Charismatic - a power recognized by society in an individual (Baraka - holy fire of N. Africans, Mana of the Polynesians)

Politics - relationships and patterns existing that are founded on power. From Polis - having to do with the city, or the constructed orderliness of the city.

Development of Political Systems/Patterns/Traditions

What are the ways that are cultivated to 'ensure domestic tranquility'?

Among foragers and bands

Among tribes and kin-based groups

Among horticultural people, pastoral people

In agricultural societies

In industrial and post industrial societies

As well as in sub-units of societies - families, neighborhoods, villages, cities, athletic associations, quilting circles, business enterprises, militaries and militias, orchestras.

Governing means are not disembedded from other social goods and activities in smaller social formations. Dr Kottak prefers concept of 'sociopolitical organization' to refer to activities of social control, distribution of social power, allocation of prestige, dispute settlement patterns, legitimations for use of force and violence.

Acephalous societies

Big man - someone with Charisma, Baraka, Holy Fire, Soul
recognized and authorized by his society - continues to be a Big Man only as long as he is held in that regard by his community. Not a full-time job, not a legacy position - think BMOC. - a charismatic rather than institutional leader.

Tongan Big Man, in island society Oceania

Societies with permanent governing leaders

Chiefdoms - kin extensions - society is still 'one family' - chief are head of family. Sometimes chief's lineage keeps chieftainship, but the ideology is that the society is a big family and the chief is the head of the family.

Monarchies - two "family" systems - the royal family, and the rest of society. (nearly always there are rules of inheritance for the throne which keeps throne in the royal family or among the aristocrats - that word deriving from the words for 'kingly' rule)

City States, Nation States

Archaic States - stratification -two separate classes at least - class is usually inherited.

Pharaoh - stratified society - royals (divine) and commoners.

Rise of archaic states comes in agricultural societies, but thousands of years after elaboration of this way of life.

Theories on rise of States
Co-operative invention - we need to get organized

Hydraulic - common need (water for irrigation) at a large scale (no single family or clan could produce, and organize necessary workforce) generated managers and management technique suitable to pull off the work, settle the disputes arising, defend the product (canals).

Coercive - imposed from outside of a particular society rather than an expression of it.

Early dense settlement - CATAL HUYUK - in Fertile Crescent

The ruins of Catal Huyuk

Scene of daily life in Catal Huyuk - density of settlement necessitated specialized and permanent judges and organizers - governance becomes government.

Theories of State

Functionalists - notice the "forum" qualities of governance - the social space where conflicts are worked out, compromises are made, accommodations accomplished. Government are social instruments that rule the ruling classes, or limit them when violation of societal values are broached

Conflict - governments are instruments that maintain and support the power relations that exist in a community/society - ruling class rules, and the ruling values of any society are those of the ruling classes.