Reference no: EM133792881

Assignment:

Provide thoughtful responses to two of your peers post. Be sure to also ask a thoughtful question.

POST A: The word "civilization" tends to be mostly associated with "civilized" societies. People commonly associate those words with Europe, nearly excluding societies in the Americas, Asia, and Africa, despite having complex political, social, and cultural aspects as well. This chapter included many different "complex societies" from all over the globe that had created different systems that worked for them.

Each "complex society" is unique with traditions and ways of doing things, "civilization" tends to create an image of what every society needs to strive for; a cookie cutter for societies. "Complex society" focuses on systems and traditions that make up the specific society without having to compare it to other "civilizations" or "civilized" societies.

POST B: I believe that the word "civilization" is a charged word that carries with it a certain connotation in a world defined through the eyes of European colonization. Different people define "civilization" differently as is expressed in terms such as 'developed' vs 'developing' societies. The term complex society seems to be an umbrella term that can describe a vast many different groups as they learned, grew, and developed different skills and ways of life over time. Defining societies in terms of "civilization' leaves room for conjecture - potentially creating an unintended discourse that could detract from the development of "complex societies" as their own achievements without comparison to various other "civilizations" that may stand out in the study of history and time.