JAMIA MILLIA ISLAMIA

New Delhi – 110025

FACULTY OF LAW

SOCIOLOGY – ASSIGNMENT
TOPIC – TYPES OF SOCIETIES

NAME : ARCHITA CHAWLA

STUDENT ID :202303656
COURSE:BA.L.L.B.(Hons) REGULAR
SEMESTER :1ST (2023–2024)
ROLL NO:10

SUBMITTED TO :
MR. RASHEED CA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my gratitude to my teacher
MR. RASHEED CA , who gave me the opportunity
to do this wonderful project of the subject
SOCIOLOGY on the TOPIC TYPES OF SOCIETIES
.the project helped me to learn about different types
of societies and I also learned how to do proper
research and many new things while doing this
project.

I am greatly indebted to the various writers and all others

from whose writings and work I have taken help to
complete this assignment.

DATE:25 OCTOBER 2023

NAME : ARCHITA CHAWLA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ø INTRODUCTION………………………………….04
Ø DEFINING SOCIOLOGY…………………………04
Ø CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIOLOGY…………04
Ø TYPES OF SOCIETIES …………………………..05
Ø EVOLUTION OF SOCIETY ……………………..06
Ø HUNTING AND GATHERING…………………..06
Ø PASTORAL SOCIETIES ………………………..…07
Ø HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES……………………08
Ø AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES …………………….08
Ø INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES …………………………09
Ø POST INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES………………….10
Ø CONCLUSIONS…………………………………….11
Ø REFRENCES…………………………………………12

INTRODUCTION
v DEFINING SOCIOLOGY
· Sociology is the systematic study of human society and social interaction.
· The society and the individual are inherently connected,and each depends on
the other.
· Sociologists study this link : how society affects the individual and how the
individual affects society.

vA SOCIETY IS……..
 · Any group of people who have lived and worked together long enough to get
themselves organized and to think of themselves as a social unit with well
defined limits (linton)
· Society refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share a
culture.(John J. Macionis)
· Society is the web of social relationships which is ever changing (Maclver
and Page)

v CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIETY
· Population is one of the basic characteristics of society as society is considered to be
a largest social group of living together.
· The demographic properties of a population (size,composition and density)have
direct,demonstrable and far reaching consequences for human societies.
· Subgroups are the important components of the larger group.individuals are
organized into a variety of units we call groups.these range from small family units
to giant corporations.
· Within one society,these different subgroups are classified on the basis of
age ,profession,sex,religion,literacy and so on.
· Interdependence ; another important characteristic of society .the survival and well
being of each member is very much depended on this interdependence . No indiviual
is self sufficient . He has to be depend on othersfor food ,shelter and security and for
the fulfillment of many of his needs and necessities.
· Social institutions are the main organs of the society. a social institution is a complex
,integrated set of social norms organized around the preservation of a basic societal
value.
· Social institutions are the main organs of the society.a social institution is a
complex,integrated set of social norms organized around the preservation of a basic
societal value.
· The interrelationship among institutions create structure for the society.

· The family, education ,economic,political and religion.

· Culture is fundamental for the survival of societies . Culture can be said to include
all the human phenomena in a society and all learned behaviour.
· Culture is a very board term that includes in itself all walks of life , modes of
behaviour , philosophies and ethics,morals and
manners ,religious,political ,economic and other types of activities.
 · Socialization ;a life long process which enables the individual to learn the content of
her/his culture and the many behavioural patterns of the group to which she/he
belongs.
· The indiviual learns to become a functioning and participating member of the
society or group through the socialization.
· permanent group;permanency is another important characteristic of society .it is
not a temporary organization of indiviuals .society continues to exist even after the
death of individual members.society is a coherent organisation .
· Dynamism is also an important aspect of a society .no society is static .every society
changes and changes continuosly.old customs,traditions,folkways,mores,values and
institutions got changed and new customs and values takes place.
· Rural –urban composition ;Human socities have at least two aspects

· Rural; sparsely residing group of people with simple culture.

· Urban;people living in clusters with complex culture.

v Types of Societies in Sociology

The types of societies we will be looking at in
sociology are as follows:
¨ preindustrial societies
¨ industrial society
¨ postindustrial society

THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SOCIETY

· In the simplest sense,evolution means the slow process of change from
a simple to a more complex structure.
· Human societies are essentially adaptive mechanisms.
· In human societies we find the evidence of both continuity and change.
Types of Early Societies in Preindustrial
Society
There were five types of early societies in preindustrial society. Before the
introduction of machinery in the Industrial Revolution, societies were rural,
small and reliant on local and natural resources. The only form of
production came from human labor, and few people had specialist
occupations (e.g., farmers).

The five types of early societies are as follows:

¨ hunter-gatherer
¨ pastoral
¨ horticultural

¨ agricultural
¨ feudal

HUNTING & GATHERING

➢ These societies have been here since the beginning of human life.

➢ They are nomadic and rely on readily available food and fiber from
nature.

➢ Primarily depend on the hunting of animal and gathering wild plants

(Hunting conducted by men, gathering by women).

➢ Population size limited by availability of food. These are groups of about

25 to 50 women, men, and children who cooperate with each other in the
quest for subsistence.

➢ Hunters and gatherers do not appear to work hard or long. They generally
work less than the members of more technologically advanced societies.

➢ Egalitarian - equal access to resources

➢ No social stratification.

Examples of hunter-gatherer societies

include:
¨ Many Aboriginal Australian societies prior to 1788,
¨ Torres Strait Islanders prior to 1788, and
¨ Bambuti in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
PASTORAL SOCIETIES
➢Subsistence Strategy :Tend to rely on the domestication and breeding of animals for
food.

➢Population Size : These societies have hundreds or even thousands of people.

➢Geographical Mobility: Nomadic &People live in portable tents or temporary structures

and move only when the grazing land ceases to be usable.

➢Property: Some individuals can become more powerful than others on the basis of their
wealth. Warfare is more frequent than in Hunting and Gathering societies. Most fights are
over grazing areas.

➢Social Structure: simple. Besides family, the religious, economic and political institutions
began to develop.

➢The Family is the major institution. These are very male dominated as males control the
food supply.

➢ Religion is characterized by a God(s) seen as taking active role in human affairs.

Christianity, Islam and Judaism are examples of religions developing in Pastoral societies.
Note that God in these religion is often likened to a shepherd and humans to domesticated
animals (e.g., sheep).

➢Stratification and social status is based on the size of one's herd

Pastoral Society Examples

Many pastoral societies still exist today, particularly in North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa,
and South Asia.

Examples from Africa include:

¨ The Afar people,

¨ The Bedouin people,
¨ The Beja people, and
¨ The Tigre people

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES
➢Subsistence Strategy: relying on the cultivation of domesticated plants, they used hand
tools to raise crops.

➢Slash & burn technology.

➢Population Size: Usually consist of several thousand people.

➢Geographical Mobility: Raise crops for two to three years and then prefer to move when
the soil is exhausted.

➢Social Structure: specialized new roles and statuses appear.

➢Political and economic institutions become well developed.

➢Ownership of Property: Some people become more powerful than others due to the
possibility of surplus.(wealth) Horticultural societies formed in areas where rainfall and
other conditions allowed them to grow stable crops.

Horticultural Society Examples

Examples of horticultural societies include:

¨ Gururumba Tribe (New Guinea) – Growing sweet potato, yams, sugarcane, and
taro.
¨ Maasai people (Kenya) – Growing rice, potatoes, and cabbage.
¨ Pre-historical Peru – About 10,000-6,000 years ago, the Indigenous tribes in Peru,
starting with the Ñanchoc people, domesticated squash, peanuts, and cotton.

AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES
➢ Subsistence Strategy: relying on cultivation of crops through the use of plows and draft
animals.

➢ Population Size: Usually consist of several million people.

➢ Geographical Mobility: Permanent settlement, very low geographical mobility is found.

➢ Social Structure: specialized new roles and statuses appear. As crop yields are high, it is
no longer necessary for every member of the society to engage in some form of farming, so
some people begin developing other skills. Job specialization increases.

➢ Political institution become much more elaborate, power becomes concentrated in the
hands of single individual.(monarchy, feudal system)

➢ Ownership of Property: Social classes appear. The wealth is almost unequally shared.

Agricultural Society Examples

Examples of agricultural societies include:
 ¨ Ancient Egyptians and Sumarians: Plows have been found from Ancient Egypt that
date back to 4000BCE.
¨ Northern China: Metal bladed plows in China date back to about 3000BCE.

INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
➢People and goods pass through much longer distances because of innovations in
transportation, such as the train and the steamship.

➢Rural areas lost population because more and more people were engaged in factory work
and had to move to the cities.

➢Fewer people were needed in agriculture, and societies became urbanized, which means
that the majority of the population lived within commuting distance of a major city.

Industrial Society Examples

England is known to be one of the first large-scale industrial societies, enabling it to
become a global superpower. As technology rapidly sped up, most of Europe and North
America become industrialized.

Today, many developing societies continue to rely on industrial economies; and in those
societies, there is often a mix of industrial and post-industrial regions.

POST- INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES

➢Post industrialism to refer to the production of information using computer technology.
Production in industrial societies centers on factories and machinery generating material
goods; postindustrial production relies on computers and other electronic devices that
create, process, store, and apply information.

➢Focus on ideas: Tangible goods no longer drive the economy.

➢Need for higher education: Factory work does not require advanced training, and the
new focus on information and technology means that people must pursue greater
education.

➢Shift in workplace from cities to homes: New communications technology allows work to
be performed from a variety of locations.

Examples Of Post-Industrial Societies

Areas of most of the developed world in the 21st Century can be
considered post-industrial. This includes, but is not limited to:

¨ The United States of America

¨ The United Kingdom
¨ France
¨ Germany
¨ Singapore

CONCLUSIONS
The study of societies is the central preoccupation of sociologists. It is, therefore,
unsurprising that they conduct a lot of research on the classification of the different types
of societies.

There are many different ways to do this. In this presentation , we analyzed and defined
the six most commonly cited types of societies. These are:

(1) hunter-gatherer societies

(2) pastoral societies

(3) horticultural societies

(4) agricultural societies

(5) Industrial societies

(6) post-industrial societies

REFERENCES
1) OpenStax. (2021). Introduction to Sociology, 3rd edition. Rice University.
2) Lenski, G. E. (1974). Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology.
McGraw-Hill.
3) Helpfulproffesor.com
4) Sociology by SR Myeni
5) Sociology by CN Rao