Tribal and modern societies

Tribal societies

Tribal societies are made up of small groups (clan) linked together in a kinship and similarities. The tribal societies have a structure that is a chief integrate clan into one body. The tribe produce social ties which are based on common beliefs and their social practices that rooted in religious laws.

The kinship creates similarities that unite the tribe. The members are considered as kin.  Each of the clan may be distinguishable from the others and has different features. They share system of rules with the other clans, their form of social sanction and legends and mythologies.

The religious is an active social component. Beliefs are mainly religious in nature common conscience is rooted in religious. Collective rules social customs are predominantly religious in nature and encompass all sort of social life.  The dominant social institution is the kinship groups and local activity forms the source of social unity.

The religious help to form a system of social customs that creates common practices that provide social unity. Tribesmen social personalities are defined by their religious beliefs. Their solidarity is primitive they share original characters, have similar values. Individuals are dependent on the tribal chiefs; collective power is invested with tribal chief. Offences against the collective beliefs of the tribes are punished by repressive law that act to restate the beliefs. Social ties are of obligatory, there is no individual autonomy.  A social system that links individuals to a society is based on a custom, obligation and sentiment.

Modern societies

In modern societies population are spread out over a large geographical area. The social diversity is more developed than in the tribal societies. The division of labour has intensified, the social cooperation are replaced by individuals that performing separate functions. This changes the nature of social ties connecting individual to society.

The division of labour has increased more autonomous individuals and, however, more dependent on society for what they cannot produce themselves. The individuals social ties to society enforced by contract (law) rather than tribal customs or religious beliefs. The system of law based on addressing social wrong. Individual has autonomy and become objects of legal rights and freedom. In a secular and economic society the collective consciences are less resistance to changes. The minimum shared understandings between members create strong solidarity.

In the modern societies autonomous social organisation replace the tribal system. The modern social organisations are different from the tribal organisation in many ways. The social organisations are not organised in terms of similar tribe but are coordinated around parts that are related to each other and shaped around a central political organisation that exercise reasonable influence on the others. The central political organisation is not of the same social material as that formed tribal societies, and therefore these societies rest on principle of organisation that are opposite to tribal societies.

The modern societies have large population and there is loss immediacy between individuals and tribes. This loss of nearness leads to a reorganisation of the society forcing individual to perform special functions, which in turn changes the nature of their social links. The individual are connected by the occupation rather than kinship. Their place in society is marked by occupation not by family ties.

The tribal social material could be utilised as this takes place it causes the tribal societies to rearrange the dominant social principle. The tribal societies lose their resistance to changes, the modern societies transform tribal into one with division of labour.

M.Sarjov