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Societies without scale

Societies without scale, ontologies without mereologies, Complexity contra modernity

Ryan Schram
University of Sydney
November 22, 2024

Slides available at https://anthro.rschram.org/talks/complexity

Segmentary order: Nested levels

A social order based on the principle of unilineal descent is segmentary, with segments of different levels performing distinct functions.

A wide network based on analogies

Social order is assembled by links based on analogies among elements. Similarities at one level are the basis for positing a more abstract unity, yet the bases for similarities are many.

Different combinations of yams and humans over time

Yams move along chains of people. A society is merely a specific configuration of yams and humans.

Two types of complexity

  • Type I complexity: Parts and wholes
  • Type II complexity: Potential relationships established through recursive loops of feedback

When an era of reflexive modernization ends, how should we conceptualize complexity?

What conceptualizations of the complexity of social reality are needed for an era of deglobalization and competing alternatives to (neo)liberal governmentality?

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