How Society Is

Organized
TOPIC 3: POLITICAL AND LEADERSHIP STRUCTURES
Political and Leadership Structures

1. Political Organization 2. Authority and Legitimacy

 Bands a. Authority vis-à-vis Legitimacy
 Tribes b. Types of Legitimacy
 Chiefdoms - traditional
 Nations - charismatic
 States - rational
Political Organizations
Bands Tribes

“acephalous”
- Without well- defined system of leadership
Band
formed by several families living together based on
marriage ties, common descendants, friendship
affiliations, and members usually have a common
interest, or enemy
main source of integration is KINSHIP either BY
BLOOD OR AFFINITY
the power structure within a band is less hierarchical
Band
Status is a function of age or gender
 Informal leadership is accorded to members who possesses
certain skills and knowledge such as gift of the memory,
hunting or healing skills, or those other special ability
(leadership is reached by consensus not election).
 As bands increase in size, the tendency for conflict
increases, which lead to the band splitting along family lines
(band fissioning). This lead to leaving the band to form
their own (social velocity)
Tribes
organized through the presence of
pantribal associations or “sodalities” ,
which comes in the form of councils or
tribal elders
often headed by a village headman ( role does
not have absolute political power)
Tribes

most tribes remain egalitarian

Economically self- sufficient and
are more larger and integrated than
bands
Chiefdoms

A political organization that is more defined:

formal leadership exists and authority rests
solely on the members of a select family
Power is inherited (elite family)
Structure is hierarchical
Chiefdoms
Social classes exists and are differentiated( level of
their power in relation to the permanent ruler)
Social/ class mobility can exist
Social status is affected by marriage, age, and sex
 Chiefdoms
Simple Chiefdoms Complex Chiefdoms
Characterized by a
 Composed of several simple chiefdoms
central village or ruled by a single paramount chief
community ruled by residing in a single paramount center
a single family.  Highly structured and hierarchical
political system characterized by a class
system (elites demands tribute from the
commoners- tributary systems)
Nation and States
Nations can either be “imagined” or “abstract”

Benedict Anderson considers a nation as

imagined in the sense that nations can exist
as a state of mind, where the material
expressions seen in actual residence in a
physical territory becomes secondary to the
common imagined connections emanating
from a common history and identity.
Nations can either be “imagined” or “abstract”

Paul James considers a nation as

abstract. he argues that a nation is
objectively impersonal even if each
individual is able to identify with
others.
Nations can either be “imagined” or “abstract”

A nation, despite its being historically

constituted and having a common sense of
identification among its members, as well as
the conciousness of having the potential to
be autonomous, nevertheless do not possess
the status of being recognized as an
independent political identity.
State
a political unit consisting of a
government that has sovereignty
prsiding over a group of people and
a well-defined territory and is thus
the highest form of political
organization.
Nation
 is defined as people, or aggregation of men, existing in the
form of an organized society, usually inhabiting a distinct
portion of the earth, speaking the same language, using the
same customs, possessing historic continuity, and disguised
from other like groups by their racial origin and
characteristics, and generally, but not necessarily, living
under the same government and sovereignty.
 is a racial or ethical concept
 State
stateas a community of persons, more or less
numerous, occupying a definite territory,
possessed with an organized government, and
enjoying independence from external control
Political concept
Maybe made up of one or more nations
Political Legitimacy
and
Authority
Authority vis-à-vis Legitimacy

Authority- is the power to make binding decisions and

issue commands.

Legitimacy- is a moral and ethical concept that bestows

one who possesses power the right to exercise such power
since such is perceived to be justified and proper.
Types of Legitimacy
Traditional Authority

legitimacy is derived from well-

established customs, habits, and social
structures (ex. Monarchical rule or the rule of
the elites in a chiefdom)
Charismatic Authority
legitimacy emanates from the charisma of the
individual, which of some can be seen as a “gift of
grace”, or the possession of “gravitas” or an
authority derived from a “higher power” ( such as
those associated with the divine right of kings)
Charismatic Authority

ex. Religious leaders, or even popular

icons such as movie actors
Rational- legal or Bureaucratic
Authority
 draws it legitimacy from formal rules
promulgated by the state through its fundamental
and implementing laws
most dominant way of legitimizing authority in
modern states, and this is from where government
officials draw their power.
Quiz
a. bands
b. tribes
c. chiefdoms
d. nations
e. states
1. A political unit consisting of a
government that has sovereignty
prsiding over a group of people and a
well-defined territory and is thus the
highest form of political organization.
2. main source of integration is KINSHIP
either BY BLOOD OR AFFINITY

3. A political organization that is more

defined: formal leadership exists and
authority rests solely on the members of a
select family
4. formed by several families living together
based on marriage ties, common descendants,
friendship affiliations, and members usually
have a common interest, or enemy

5.Paul James considers this as abstract. he

argues that it is objectively impersonal even if
each individual is able to identify with others.
6. organized through the presence of pantribal
associations or “sodalities” , which comes in
the form of councils or tribal elders

7. often headed by a village headman (role

does not have absolute political power)
8. most of them remain egalitarian

9. According to Benedict Anderson, _____

can exist as a state of mind.

10. a community of persons, more or less

numerous, occupying a definite territory,
possessed with an organized government, and
enjoying independence from external
control
11. Informal leadership is accorded to
members who possesses certain skills and
knowledge such as gift of the memory, hunting
or healing skills, or those other special ability
(leadership is reached by consensus not
election)

12. Power is inherited (elite family)

13. Structure is hierarchical
14. ocial classes exists and are
differentiated( level of their power in relation
to the permanent ruler)

15. can be simple or complex

1. states
2 bands
3 chiefdoms
4. bands
5 nations
6 tribes
7 tribes
8 tribes
9 nations
10 states
11 bands
12-15 chiefdoms
 Write a critical essay analyzing the type
of leadership of the president. Give
particular attention on how he/ she
exercises authority in times of crisis.