• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sociology Group: Sociology and Other Social Sciences Blog

Learn Sociology and Other Social Sciences

  • Home
  • Sociology Notes and Books (PDF)
  • Applied Sociology
  • Basic Concepts
    • Introduction to Sociology
    • Branches
    • Gender
    • Kinship
    • Religion
    • Social Stratification
    • Research Methods
  • Social Science
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • Law
    • Linguistics
    • Political Science
    • Psychology
  • Dictionary
  • Academic Writing
  • Research papers
  • Sociology Optional
    • Current Affairs
    • Civil Services
  • Sociology Exam: Questions & Answers
  • Submit Article, Essay, Academic Paper
  • Homework Help

Short notes on Pastoral Society

by Sociology Group

Pastoral society is a kind of society comprising of pastoralists where their main source of livelihood comes from herding and domesticating animals into herds. The flocks of domestic animals not only provide them with subsistence.

The term ‘pastoral’ is derived from the Latin word ‘pastor’ which means shepherd. With herding being the major occupation, they also involved in hunting and gathering and some other forms of agricultural practices. These societies generally emerge in places with unsuitable atmospheric and environmental conditions. Places where other agricultural practices are not possible like desert regions, or places with heavy rainfall, or even places covered with snow for the maximum period of the year. Hence, the people started taming animals like goats, camels, yaks, and sheep which could serve them as a major source of food.

The pastoral societies are usually larger in size as compared to societies that practice hunting and gathering alone. Although the practice of herding proved to be a better means of livelihood that not only provided subsistence but also let to the accumulation of a surplus, it is never the sole occupation. It is always combined with a little bit of hunting and gathering or some other occupations. Due to the generation of surplus, these societies are also characterized by some form of inequality. So, the ones who could generate more surpluses became more powerful as compared to the ones who could not. As these societies needed new grazing areas seasonally, they are also included in the category of nomadic people. They at times move across borders in search of new lands for grazing. This often brings tension, chaos, and conflict both for them and the national governments.  They are mostly grouped in tribes, with the extended family comprising the households.

There are two types of pastoral societies, nomads and transhumance. The nomads move from one region to another to meet the needs of their domesticated animals, and the places they migrate to depend on the seasons they are traveling in. They generally live in tents and there are no permanent homes for them even though they might sometime return back to an area they have visited earlier. On the other hand, the transhumances are pastoralists with permanent homes. Although they also migrate from one place to another, they return back to their permanent homes. In winter, they move to warmer places, while in summer, they move to cooler places. Pastoral societies are not strictly divided as either nomadic or transhumance. They adapt depending on the situations they are in. So, the nomads can turn transhumance if required and vice versa.

Some examples of such societies are Berbers of North America, Karimojong of Uganda, Maasai of East Africa, Kuchis of Afghanistan, Ahir of North India, Bhutia of India and Nepal, Komi of Northern Russia, Fula people of Sahelian West Africa, Tigre of the Horn of Africa, Bedouin of West Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and so on.

 

Related Posts:
  • Pastoralism: Meaning, Origin and Criticism
  • Sociology of Religion: Short Notes on Witchcraft
  • Agrarian society: Meaning, History and Characteristics
  • What is precipitation and Different types of rainfall like…
  • 4 Major Theories Of Migration: Explained with Examples
  • Types of Societies: Static, Folk, Close, Sacred & Rural…

Filed Under: Sociology Dictionary, Sociology Optional

About Sociology Group

Ours is a youth-led virtual learning platform with dedicated social scientists and students. We aim at providing virtual guidance to the ones taking their first steps into the world of Social Science, either through formal education or because of their never-ending quest for learning. We believe in sharing with our readers the knowledge that we have gained, through simple transcription of social theories and their real-life application. We also believe in the power of knowledge in making the world a better place to thrive and survive.

Primary Sidebar

CATEGORIES

  • Applied Sociology
  • Basic Concepts
  • Karl Marx
  • Max weber
  • Emile Durkheim
  • Sociology Dictionary
  • Sociology Optional
  • Current Affairs
  • Introduction to Sociology
    • Branches
    • Contributions
    • Sociological Thinkers
  • Social Issues
  • Gender
  • Religion
  • Social Stratification
  • Psychology
  • Anthropology
  • Journalism
  • Political science
  • Academic Writing
  • Research Methods
  • Research papers
  • Question Papers
  • Sociology Exam: Questions & Answers
  • Sociological Essays

Recent Posts

  • Changing Family Roles in the Workspace – 1700 Words Research Essay
  • Social Realism in Cinema
  • W. E. B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk – Veil and Doule Consciousness
  • Annihilation of Caste, how does he address the idea of radical societal overhaul from a caste perspective?
  • RESPONSE TO BLADE RUNNER (1982)
  • The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life: Explained with Examples
  • Jeffrey Alexander and Cultural Sociology
  • CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND DEMOCRACY

Footer

About us

Intern With Us

Short Questions & Answers

Telegram Channel


  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Sitemap
  • FAQs
Jai Bhim, Copyright © 2017 ‐ 2022