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A civilization is by definition a complex culture, a culture with
differentiated and organized parts. The different parts and their interrelations define
the STRUCTURE of a civilization, and the Civilization
Worksheet provides a checklist of what to look for when studying the structure of
almost any civilization. The checklist is organized into conventional categories--economy,
society, politics, and culture--each with subcategories. Since the categories apply to
most societies, the Worksheet can be used as a basis for comparing different
civilizations, or the same civilization at different periods. The categories are of course
somewhat artificial and anachronistic. They use modern concepts to elucidate ancient
cultures that did not make the same distinctions between, say, economics and politics.
Keep that in mind as you analyze such cultures. However, some kind of guide can be
helpful. Most of the categories should be self-explanatory. Instead of formal definitions,
in many cases I have provided examples and suggestions of things to look for within the
category.
Introduction | Economy
| Society | Politics | Culture | Problems | Instructions
How do people make a living?
- Type: Is there a general name for this type of economy:
hunter-gatherer, industrial, socialist, etc.?
- Agriculture: What were the main crops? How was agriculture
organized?
- Craft/Industry: How were other goods and services produced?
How was production organized--guilds, factories, etc.?
- Other Production: What other sources of income did the
society have--such as fishing, hunting and gathering, raiding, piracy?
- Trade: How were goods exchanged? Were there markets? Was
there a merchant class? Was there international trade? What were the principal
tradeitems?
- Technology: What was the overall level of technology in the
society--e.g. Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Industrial Revolution?
- Distribution of Wealth: How wide was the gap between rich
and poor?
Introduction | Economy
| Society | Politics | Culture | Problems | Instructions
How are individuals organized into groups in this civilization,
and how do these individuals and groups interact?
- Type: For example, is there a caste system? Is the society
primarily aristocratic? bourgeois?
- Demographics: What is the population of this
civilization--100, 10,000, or 100,000,000? How is the population distributed? How many
people live in cities? How old is the population? What is the average life
expectancy?
- Family/Gender: What are the roles of men and women? How is
the family organized--nuclear or extended, patrilineal or matrilineal? What is the
relationship between parents and children, among siblings?
- Classes: Are there distinct classes? If so, which groups or
occupations are at the top of the social hierarchy, and why? Which groups are at the
bottom, and why? Is there a middle class? If so, how is it defined? In looking at classes,
sometimes it is useful to look at a group's self-image as well as historical analyses. For
example, medieval Europe pictured itself as having three orders, whereas classical China
divided itself into four.
- Equality/Mobility: How wide is the gap between upper and
lower, in terms not only of wealth (see "Distribution of Wealth") but status? Is
it possible to move from one class to another, or are classes hereditary?
Introduction | Economy
| Society | Politics | Culture | Problems | Instructions
How is power organized? How does the society defend itself against
others? How does it maintain internal order?
- Type: For example, feudalism, republic, absolute
monarchy?
- Ruler: Is there a single ruler? If so, who is the ruler? How
is the position defined? What powers does he/she have--in theory and in practice? (Can the
ruler be a woman?) How does one get to be a ruler?
- Ruling elite: Which social/economic groups help the ruler,
or, if there is no single ruler, which groups rule? How is their position and power
defined with respect both to the ruler and to the rest of the population?
- Military institutions: How is the military organized? Is
there a military class, or are soldiers drawn from the general citizenry? Are soldiers
paid? Are mercenaries allowed or even encouraged? How does the military fight?
- Civil institutions: How are laws made and enforced? What is
the government's role in the economy? What if any rights do subjects or citizens
have?
- Legitimation/Ideology: How does the government legitimate
itself--through religion, heredity, the consent of the governed, etc.? What ideology
sustains this political system?
- International Standing: What are the major surrounding
societies? How does the society studies compare with them? Is it dominant or subordinate,
secure or threatened?
Introduction | Economy
| Society | Politics | Culture | Problems | Instructions
How does the civilization express itself? What is distinctive
about its beliefs and way of life?
- Dominant: The culture of the people in power. Often but not
always the majority culture.
- Ethnicity: Racial and cultural identification of the group.
Here also it is often useful to look at the group's self-identification, its
characterization by contemporaries, and its designation by historians.
- Language and literacy: Identification of stage of
development (e.g., Old English, Middle English) and language group (e.g., Indo-European,
Dravidian) are sometimes useful. Does the culture have writing? If so, how widespread is
literacy?
- Salient Customs: not covered under any of the other
categories--e.g., foot-binding, folk dancing.
- Religion: What is it called? Is it monotheistic or
polytheistic? Particularist or universal? Is there a professional clergy? What are the
distinctive beliefs and practices?
- Artistic Production: Distinctive objects, media, styles, and
symbolism associated with the civilization.
- Other: How diverse is the civilization? What other groups
are there? Are they minority groups (e.g., Jews and Christians in the Ottoman Empire) or
subordinate majorities (e.g., Helots in ancient Sparta)? What are their cultures like?
What is their relationship with the dominant culture?
Introduction | Economy
| Society | Politics | Culture | Problems | Instructions
No society is perfect. All have their problems, which at times are
manageable and at other times overwhelming. Identify the significant
problems--environmental, economic, social, political, and cultural--and you will have a
key to the history of the society, for the attempt to deal with problems and the success
or failure in doing so determine the fate of civilizations.
Clearly, you will not be able to describe fully every category in
detail for every culture and every period studied. Sometimes general terms--feudalism,
absolute monarchy, Confucianism, etc.--will have to do. You may not be able to get
information on every category and subcategory from the texts assigned for the course you
are taking. However, you should be able to fill in something for every major
category--economy, society, politics, culture--and you should be able to fill in most of
the subcategories. If you are not sure how to complete a specific subcategory, ask the
instructor.
Use the Civilization Worksheet form to
complete this exercise.
Introduction | Economy
| Society | Politics | Culture | Problems | Instructions
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John I. Brooks III