A society is a group of people involved in persistent social
interaction, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical 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. In
the social sciences, a larger society often evinces stratification or
dominance patterns in subgroups.
Insofar as it is collaborative, a society can enable its members to
benefit in ways that would not otherwise be possible on an individual
basis; both individual and social (common) benefits can thus be
distinguished, or in many cases found to overlap. A society can also
consist of like-minded people governed by their own norms and values
within a dominant, larger society. This is sometimes referred to as a
subculture, a term used extensively within criminology.
Post a Comment