Portal:Society
The Society Portal
A society (/səˈsaɪəti/) is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societies are characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations) between individuals who share a distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such relationships among its constituent members.
Human social structures are complex and highly cooperative, featuring the specialization of labor via social roles. Societies construct roles and other patterns of behavior by deeming certain actions or concepts acceptable or unacceptable—these expectations around behavior within a given society are known as societal norms. So far as it is collaborative, a society can enable its members to benefit in ways that would otherwise be difficult on an individual basis.
Societies vary based on level of technology and type of economic activity. Larger societies with larger food surpluses often exhibit stratification or dominance patterns. Societies can have many different forms of government, various ways of understanding kinship, and different gender roles. Human behavior varies immensely between different societies; humans shape society, but society in turn shapes human beings. (Full article...)
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The Battle of the Little Bighorn occurred on June 25–26, 1876, near the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory, and was the most famous action of the Great Sioux War of 1876. It was an overwhelming victory for the Native American coalition over the U.S. Army 7th Cavalry.
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- ... that emaciation (pictured) is referred to as "shosha roga" in India, where more than 200 million people are affected by malnutrition?
- ... that the Prison Officers Association threatened a job action when it was announced that both Birmingham and Oakwood Prisons were to be contracted to security company G4S?
- ... that Albanian philosopher and poet Arshi Pipa was imprisoned for ten years because he antagonized the communist regime in Albania with his recitation of a verse by Goethe?
Anniversaries this month
- 15 December 1906 – Organization of the The Missouri Folklore Society; encourages study of folklore and arts in Missouri
- 29 December 1937 – Establishment of the Rural Sociological Society
- 30 December 1671 – Foundation of the Académie royale d'architecture by Louis XIV (pictured), king of France under the impulsion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
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20151030 Syrians and Iraq refugees arrive at Skala Sykamias Lesvos Greece 2
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Bertillon, Alphonse, fiche anthropométrique recto-verso
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Daisy (1964)
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Dewey Defeats Truman
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DurbanSign1989
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Frances Benjamin Johnston, Self-Portrait (as "New Woman"), 1896
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If you talk too much, this man may die
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Jane Addams - Bain News Service
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Sahelanthropus tchadensis - TM 266-01-060-1
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Scourged back by McPherson & Oliver, 1863, retouched
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United States President Barack Obama bends down to allow the son of a White House staff member to touch his head
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W.E.B. Du Bois by James E. Purdy, 1907
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Xiahe mandible
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- Definition of Society from the OED.
- Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Industrial Revolution
- "The Day the World Took Off" Six part video series from the University of Cambridge tracing the question "Why did the Industrial Revolution begin when and where it did."
- BBC History Home Page – Industrial Revolution
- National Museum of Science and Industry website – machines and personalities
- Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living by Clark Nardinelli - the debate over whether standards of living rose or fell.