The Logic of Writing and the Organization of SocietyCambridge University Press, 18. 12. 1986 - 213 strán (strany) This book assesses the impact of writing on human societies, both in the Ancient Near East and in twentieth-century Africa, and highlights some general features of social systems that have been influenced by this major change in the mode of communication. Such features are central to any attempt at the theoretical definition of human society and such constituent phenomena as religious and legal systems, and in this study Professor Goody explores the role of a specific mechanism, the introduction of writing and the development of a written tradition, in the explanation of some important social differences and similarities. Goody argues that a shift of emphasis from productive to certain communicative processes is essential to account adequately for major changes in human societies. Whilst there have been previous descussions of the effect of literacy upon social organisation, no study has hitherto presented the general synthesis developed here. |
Obsah
The word of God | 1 |
The concept of athe religion | 4 |
Change | 6 |
Obsolescence | 8 |
Incorporation or conversion | 10 |
Cognitive contradictions in the general and the specific | 13 |
priests and intellectuals | 16 |
Endowment and alienation | 18 |
Writing and the mercantile economy | 71 |
Writing and individual transactions | 77 |
Writing and the economy in Africa | 82 |
The state the bureau and the file | 87 |
Bureaucracies | 89 |
The administration of early states with writing | 92 |
The administration of states without writing | 99 |
Writing in the colonial and national administrations | 113 |
The twin bureaucracies | 19 |
Organizational and structural autonomy | 20 |
spirit cults and world religions | 22 |
Writing and religion in Ancient Egypt | 26 |
Writing and religion in other early civilizations | 35 |
Ritual and writing | 42 |
The word of mammon | 45 |
The origin of writing and the ancient economy | 48 |
Writing and the temple economy | 55 |
Writing and the palace economy | 62 |
Writing and the political process | 119 |
The letter of the law | 127 |
The definition of law | 129 |
The expansion of writing and law in medieval England | 159 |
The letter and the spirit of the law | 165 |
Ruptures and continuities | 171 |
Notes | 186 |
| 194 | |
| 206 | |
Časté výrazy a frázy
acephalous societies activities administration Anatolia Ancient Egypt Ancient Near East Asante aspects autonomy Basoga Book book-keeping Buddhist bureaucracy central century changes Christianity church Clanchy communication complex concept context contract court cult discussion documents dominated earlier early Ebla economy endowments especially Europe example exchange existence explicit Fallers Fifth Dynasty formal Ghana gods Gonja Goody hand Hinduism human important individual involved Islam Kanish kind king Kingdom labour land later legal system linked literacy literate LoDagaa marriage means medieval ment merchants Mesopotamia mode non-literate norms northern Ghana notion Oppenheim 1964 oral cultures oral societies organization palace particular partly period political priesthood priests production relations religious ritual role royal ruler rules scribes social Sokoto Caliphate specialists specific Sri Lanka Sumer tablets taxes temple tend tokens trade transactions West Africa Woolley writing written religions written tradition written word