Groups and Group Sizes

 
 
Group Name

Preferred/Alternative

Group Size

Name for Type of Reciprocal Cooperation

Preferred/Alternative

Nature of Reciprocal Cooperation^a

1. Small Group

(a) Primary Group

Up to about 5–6.

Family; household group; supper table.

(b) Sympathy Group

Up to about 12–15.

Extended family; close friends; gang.

The typical group gathering is 2–5. Five (or six) feels complete, but is small enough to sustain a single conversation. Its members are drawn, at least in part, from a wider group of 12–15.

Direct engagement

Group solidarity.

Generalised reciprocity.^b

Members provide services for each other without expectation of reciprocal exchange. Individuals’ own interests are essentially the same as those of the group.

2. Neighbourhood

Precinct; compartment; (army) company; large group.

Collaboration among 150 active participants, if this comprises one from each family, forms a neighbourhood of around 500.

Collaboration

Working together.

Neighbourliness.

A mixture of generalised and balanced reciprocity.

Community membership requires cooperation and services, but contributions vary. Since deals are never completely closed, they leave a benign, bonding, network of mutual obligation.

3. Community

(or) Parish

Intentional community; village, or group of villages; the local landscape; town.

The upper limit to the scale of a community with small-scale elegance, judgment and presence is about 5,000.

Balance

Balanced reciprocity.^c

When goods and services are supplied, this sets up an obligation which must be repaid (balanced). But these need not necessarily be money deals, nor the “best” deals: gifts, cooperation on projects and delayed completion sustain a network of obligation.

4. County

A group of communities, small enough to reflect local knowledge and represent local needs.

Exchange

Negative reciprocity.^d

Buyers and sellers go for the best deal, and deals are closed, with no obligation remaining. At the same time, the county is vital for networking, sharing ideas, and mutual aid between communities, including representation at national level.

5. Nation

So long as they comprise a modular panarchy of groups of the scale suggested in this table, the size of nations may vary widely.

Latency

Negative reciprocity.

Although negative exchange exists at this level, interaction is mainly cultural and political. The nation affirms identity and keeps the peace. There is potential for encounters at national level to mature into any of the smaller-scale reciprocities.

a. The column on the nature of reciprocal cooperation is influenced by readings of Marshall Sahlins, “On the Sociology of Primitive Exchange”, in Michael Banton, ed. (1965), The Relevance of Models for Social Anthropology; Marshall Sahlins, (1972), Stone Age Economics; and Manning Nash (1966), Primitive and Peasant Economic Systems.

b. “Generalised reciprocity”: Sahlins, “On the Sociology of Primitive Exchange”; Sahlins (1972), pp 193–4.

c. “Balanced reciprocity”: Sahlins (1972), pp 194–5.

d. “Negative reciprocity”: Sahlins (1972), pp 195–6.