Chair of St.

Peter School 2nd Quarter – Handouts#13

Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Political Structures
As Aristotle once said, “man, by nature, is a social
animal.” He believed that man does not live in isolation,
but always with a specific group of people. It is through
this setup that he is able to interact, socialize, or share
knowledge with others. These day-to-day interactions
assist in the formation of his cultural and social identity
that makes him one with the group. Group relations are
valued in society. In times of chaos and competition,
group members usually compete among themselves or
with other groups. In order to control chaos and limit
competition in society, rules and norms have to made.
Thus, the society is kept in control and peace by these
sets of norms that group members have to follow. In this lesson, you will discover more about these
social norms and the process of social control. You will be introduced to different political
organizations as well as the significance of authority and legitimacy in power relations in society.
Classification of Societies
Societies could be classified in terms of political organization or their ability to employ an
organized political structure and authority. According to renowned anthropologist Elman Service,
society could be classified into four major categories based on political structure and authority: band,
tribe, chiefdom, and state.
Bands. Among the four classifications, bands are considered to be the smallest and most
primitive. They live autonomously and are comprised of small kin groups or a pool of nuclear families
to live together in a common area. According to anthropologist Morton Fried in his book The Notion of
the Tribe, bands neither pay taxes nor support an army. Hunting and gathering is the typical way of life
in bands. Social order is achieved through informal public opinion in the forms of gossip and avoidance.
Tribes. Similar to band societies, tribal societies do not have a formal and organized political
structure. They are usually bigger than bands and are primarily food producers. Tribes place great value
on agriculture and husbandry than hunting and gathering. Social order is maintained through a kinship
and family system led by a community head, the eldest person in the group who is considered the most
knowledgeable and experienced among the tribespeople.
Chiefdoms. Chiefdom societies are more complex than tribes and bands. They already have a
form of social and political structure characterized by a community leader—the chief—whose position
could be passed on through his bloodline. However, there is no bureaucracy in a chiefdom. There is
inequality in the distribution of power, and there are definite differences among social classes. Social
order is dependent upon the judgment of chief. In some societies, there are a council of elders present to
help the leader decide on appropriate sanctions, norms, and rules to enforce to achieve order. Despite
this, economic activities among chiefdoms are more advanced and successful compared to that of tribes
and bands.
States. Being the most politically organized and structurally-developed among the
classifications of society, states take part in many political, cultural, and economic activities. States are
self-governing societies. This would mean that they have full control over their members through an
organized political structure, they participate in economic activities within and outside their group, they
have political power over their geographical territories, and they could enforce, enact, and change laws
or norms according to the needs of the society. Bureaucracy is heavily practiced by states. Its people
and territories are protected by its own military.
Authority and Legitimacy
According to Thomas Hobbes, power could be defined as a form of control that coerces a
person to obey another. In all forms of life and societies, there is power. People follow more powerful
individuals by choice or by force. States also uphold power among their members through laws and
norms. The state uses its power to enforce its laws and to ensure social organization. In discussing
power in terms of politics and political organization, authority and legitimacy should also be
highlighted.
Authority
When there is power, authority could be upheld. Understanding authority could be done in a
theoretical or practical sense. Theoretically, authority could refer to an individual’s expertise in a
particular topic of interest. For instance, in order to fully understand anthropology, students could
consult with various experts in the field. Students believe them because they have proven their
intellectual prowess and expertise in their chosen fields. In practice, however, an authority is given the
ability to coerce people in social activities because of the power they hold. A state, for instance, has
power and exercises it through laws which citizens follow. Because society follows through with what
the state decides on, the state could be considered an authority figure. Authority, in the political sense
therefore, means that a certain political entity has the right to use and exercise its power over a specific
group or society.
Sociologist Max Weber viewed authority as a form of legitimate power. He implied that a
political organization in authority is followed by members of society because these people recognize its
rights to govern the group. Based on his concept of legitimate domination, Weber came up with three
distinct classifications of authority.

Classification of Authority Definition

Traditional Authority A status system or hierarchy is allocated for each member of

the group. Because of this, one member may have more
authority than another.
This classification could be associated with hereditary power
 where status and power are passed on through genetics.

Charismatic Authority This classification is more dependent on personality than

status. People who use this type of authority typically make
personal appeals or requests to others, inspiring loyalty among
followers.
It is not limited by rules but is more controlled by the
authority figure’s intentions. It can inspire devotion and total
control of power.

Legal – Rational Authority This is found in more industrialized, modern societies where
power rests upon a particular office and not upon a specific
person.
Authority and power are exercised based on laws. As such,
the law and the judiciary are seen as the highest forms of
power in society.

Legitimacy
In our previous examples, you found out that societies follow authority figures because they
recognize the validity of the power that these figures hold. Legitimacy, according to Weber, is the
belief that a certain entity has a right to rule or to be in authority. As such, in cases where people follow
the rules set by the authority figure, they also recognize that the authority’s power is legitimate. This
would imply that power and authority is seen as something that is rightful and acceptable to be upheld
by the governing body.
According to David Beetham, for a political organization or entity to be considered legitimate, it
must meet three criteria:
1. Power must be exercised according to rules. Legitimacy is strengthened when power and
authority are exercised within the scope and limits of the law. For instance, for a statutory government
to establish its legitimacy, it should only enforce laws that are based on the constitution. Sanctions
should also be made in consideration of what was implied by the law and by the appropriate governing
body.
2. Rules must be justified both by the political government and the society. Even if power is
exercised according to the rules, the law itself should be appropriate and justifiable for both the
government and society. This would mean that all laws enacted and passed by the government should
be beneficial to peace and social order and be morally-sound to uphold the human rights of members of
society. As such, legitimacy is achieved when the society views rules with the understanding that they
are individualistically appropriate and socially relevant.
3. The governed should consent and agree with the power and authority of the political
organization. The final criterion in attaining legitimacy is making the society realize that the political
organization has the right to exercise power and authority over it. Members of the society should be able
to accept the governing body and to follow the rules it sets. A lack of consent and agreement will result
to a lack of authority on the part of the political organization. Such may lead to social disorganization.