In this chapter, Strayer discusses social arrangement and relationships regarding the people of Eurasia and North Africa. The relationships he discusses are between the rich and poor, powerful and powerless, slaves and free people, and men and women (192). He mentions that these very relationships shaped the daily lives of the people and provided the foundation for political authority.
The first section is Society and the State in China:
-An Elite of Officials: "Proximity to the capital and family connections to the imperial court also helped in gaining a position in this highest of Chinese elites" (193).
The Landlord Class:
-Most officials came from wealthy families
-Wealth = possession of land
-"Large landowning families, therefore, remained a central feature of Chinese society, although the fate of individual families rose and fell as the wheel of fortune raised them to great prominence or plunged them into poverty and disgrace" (195).
Peasants:
-The vast majority of the population consisted of peasants
-Lived in small households with two or three generations
-Some owned enough money to support their families, while others could barely survive.
-Oppressed and exploited
-Honored and celebrated in the official ideology of the state (mentioned as opposed to merchants).
Merchants:
-Widely viewed as unproductive, "making a shameful profit from selling the work of others" (198).
The second section is Class and Caste in India
Strayer mentions, "Caste represented a means of accommodating the many migrating or invading peoples who entered the subcontinent" (203). Caste, as well as Hinduism, provided an integrative mechanism for Indian civilization. The word "caste" comes from the Portuguese word casta, meaning "race" or "purity of blood." Both China and India's social organization were the origin of determining social status for most people. There were two categories Strayer mentions: Caste as Varna and Casta as Jati. Caste as Varna had to do with notions of economic specialization and culture. Everyone was born into a certain group and remained in that specific group for their whole lives. There were 4 different groups: Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra. (On the bottom were those who were outcasts). The caste as Jati was largely based on occupations, but also set on the basis of social distinction. Caste as Varna and Jati together created "India's unique caste-based society" (200).
Another part of the chapter was about slavery and the case of the Roman Empire. Early records had suggested that women were held captives as the first slaves and usually raped. On the other hand, male captives were killed. Slavery was well practiced in Chinese, Indian, and Persian civilizations and the Greco-Roman society was heavily based on slavery.
-An Elite of Officials: "Proximity to the capital and family connections to the imperial court also helped in gaining a position in this highest of Chinese elites" (193).
The Landlord Class:
-Most officials came from wealthy families
-Wealth = possession of land
-"Large landowning families, therefore, remained a central feature of Chinese society, although the fate of individual families rose and fell as the wheel of fortune raised them to great prominence or plunged them into poverty and disgrace" (195).
Peasants:
-The vast majority of the population consisted of peasants
-Lived in small households with two or three generations
-Some owned enough money to support their families, while others could barely survive.
-Oppressed and exploited
-Honored and celebrated in the official ideology of the state (mentioned as opposed to merchants).
Merchants:
-Widely viewed as unproductive, "making a shameful profit from selling the work of others" (198).
The second section is Class and Caste in India
Strayer mentions, "Caste represented a means of accommodating the many migrating or invading peoples who entered the subcontinent" (203). Caste, as well as Hinduism, provided an integrative mechanism for Indian civilization. The word "caste" comes from the Portuguese word casta, meaning "race" or "purity of blood." Both China and India's social organization were the origin of determining social status for most people. There were two categories Strayer mentions: Caste as Varna and Casta as Jati. Caste as Varna had to do with notions of economic specialization and culture. Everyone was born into a certain group and remained in that specific group for their whole lives. There were 4 different groups: Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra. (On the bottom were those who were outcasts). The caste as Jati was largely based on occupations, but also set on the basis of social distinction. Caste as Varna and Jati together created "India's unique caste-based society" (200).
Another part of the chapter was about slavery and the case of the Roman Empire. Early records had suggested that women were held captives as the first slaves and usually raped. On the other hand, male captives were killed. Slavery was well practiced in Chinese, Indian, and Persian civilizations and the Greco-Roman society was heavily based on slavery.
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