Classnotes - Sociotechnical Rubrics

Recall that we are trying to build a modular view of society.

On Institutions:

Reference: Knuttila, 1993

Definition: Institution

A pattern of behavior, a set of organized social relationships, routinized interactions, or structured social relationships geared to solving some basic individual or group need or solving some individual or group problem. In sociological thinking an institution is not to be confused with a physical place such as a building dedicated to some specific activity such as health care. An educational institution is thus not necessarily a specific building or place but a complex set of structured and organized behaviors and patterns of interaction through which we attempt to transmit some aspect of our society's stock of knowledge.

Definition: Need (in sociology)

A condition that produces a state of tension or dissatisfaction that in turn impels an organism to action; a requirement that must be met or satisfied if an organism is to survive; a condition requiring relief.

Need/Problem Faced by Species	Institutional Order	Examples of Such Institutions in Canada
Provision and distribution of material necessities	Economic	The corporation, family farm, trade union, small business
Cultural and knowledge transmission and enhancement	Educational	University, trade school, public school
Social decision making, international relations	Political	Parliament, Senate, courts, provincial and local governments, lobby groups
Spiritual needs, answers to ultimate questions	Religious	Various and specific churches and sects
Species reproduction and early child care	Family	Nuclear and other family forms

Universal Patterns Alleged to be Present in All Human Societies:

Reference: Harris, 1980

1. Wissler, 1926, proposed the following nine component scheme:

Speech, Knowledge, Property, Material traits, Religion, Government, Art, Society, War

Remark: Harris points out the inadequacies of this scheme, such as the omission of "economy," as well as the overlap of categories such as "Material traits" with "Art" and so forth.

2. Murdock's World Ethnographic Atlas, 1967 was that HUGE "LAUNDRY LIST," which is too large to present here.

3. Parsons, 1950 (actually based on the work of a group of five anthropologists and sociologists):

Provision for adequate relationship to the environment and for sexual recruitment
Role differentiation and role assignment
Communication
Shared cognitive orientations
Shared articulated set of goals
Normative regulation of means
Regulation of affective expression
Socialization
Effective control of distruptive forms of behavoir

Remark: Harris points out the idealist bias (though he clearly is a biased materialist)

4. Harris - Cultural Materialism (rooted to Marxist determinism, and therefore biased towards science):

Infrastructure

Mode of Production (the techonlogy and the practices employed for expanding or limiting basic subsistence production, such as food and other forms of energy, etc.)
Mode of Reproduction (the technology and the practices employed for expanding, limiting, and maintaining population size).

Structure

Domestic Economy (the organization of reproduction and basic production, exchange, and consumption within camps, houses, apartments, or other domestic settings).
Political Economy (the organization of reproduction, production, exchange, and consumption within and between bands, villages, chiefdoms, states, and empires).

Superstructure (this has to do with behaviour - aesthetics, ritual, sports, science, etc.).

Remark: This is a very simplified view of the work of Harris. The main point here is to get the flavor of it's scientific (neo-Darwinian) foundations (at least, in principle).