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Portal:Society

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Contents

• The Society Portal

• Selected article

• Featured picture

• Did you know...

• Anniversaries this month

• Selected quote

• Selected biography

• Featured audio

• Categories

• Related portals

• Recognized content

• Featured articles

• Featured lists

• Good articles

• Featured pictures

• Things you can do

• WikiProjects

• Web resources

• Associated Wikimedia

The Society Portal

Ant (formicidae)

social ethology

A society (/səˈsaɪəti/) is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societies are characterized by patterns of relationships (social relations) between individuals who share a distinctive culture and institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such relationships among its constituent members.

Human social structures are complex and highly cooperative, featuring the specialization of labor via social roles. Societies construct roles and other patterns of behavior by deeming certain actions or concepts acceptable or unacceptable—these expectations around behavior within a given society are known as societal norms. So far as it is collaborative, a society can enable its members to benefit in ways that would otherwise be difficult on an individual basis.

Societies vary based on level of technology and type of economic activity. Larger societies with larger food surpluses often exhibit stratification or dominance patterns. Societies can have many different forms of government, various ways of understanding kinship, and different gender roles. Human behavior varies immensely between different societies; humans shape society, but society in turn shapes human beings. (Full article...)

Selected article

The

Liberty Bell

is an iconic symbol of American independence. It was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack (today the

Whitechapel Bell Foundry

) in 1752, and was inscribed with part of a verse from the

Book of Leviticus

: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." It originally cracked when first rung after arrival in

Philadelphia

, and was twice recast by local workmen. The bell hung for years in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (today known as

Independence Hall

), and was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens to public meetings and proclamations. Bells were rung to mark the reading of the

American Declaration of Independence

July 8

, 1776, and while there is no contemporary account of the Liberty Bell ringing, most historians believe it was one of the bells rung. It acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the early 19th century—a widespread story claims it cracked while ringing after the death of

Chief Justice

John Marshall

in 1835. The bell was moved from its longstanding home in Independence Hall to a nearby glass pavilion on

Independence Mall

in 1976, and then to the larger Liberty Bell Center adjacent to the pavilion in 2003.

Featured picture

Credit: Yann

Women of the Gondi, the largest tribe of Indian aboriginals in central India. They are classified as a scheduled tribe in most Indian states. The Gondi language is related to Telugu and other Dravidian languages. About half of Gonds speak Gondi languages, while the rest speak Indo-Aryan languages including Hindi. For many years during the British colonial period, the Gonds were considered to have performed human sacrifices, although this notion was later discredited.

Did you know...

• ... that Ayu Utami's 1998 novel Saman launched an Indonesian literary movement focusing on women's views of sexuality?

• ... that a fire in Christiania in 1858 (buildings pictured) left about 1,000 people homeless?

• ... that the New York City restaurant Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, which seats 18 people, received three Michelin stars?

Anniversaries this month

• 2 August 2009 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society reached The New York Times Best Seller list

• 17 August 2011 - Organization of the Outdoor Co-ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society

• 24 August 1963 - Malaysian Red Crescent Society admitted as a member of the League of Red Cross Societies

More anniversaries...

Selected quote

Selected biography

Daniel Lambert

(1770–1809) was a

gaol

keeper and animal breeder from

Leicester

, England, famous for his unusually large size. He was a keen sportsman and extremely strong, on one occasion fighting a bear in the streets of Leicester. He was an expert in

sporting animals

, widely respected for his expertise on dogs, horses and

fighting cocks

. In 1805 the gaol of which Lambert was keeper closed. By this time he weighed 50

stone

(700 lb; 320 kg), and had become the

heaviest authenticated person in recorded history

up to that time. Unemployed and sensitive about his bulk, he became a recluse. Poverty forced Lambert to put himself on exhibition to raise money, and in

April 1806

he moved to London, charging spectators to enter his apartments to meet him. Visitors were impressed by his intelligence and personality, and visiting him became highly fashionable. After a few months, Lambert returned wealthy to Leicester and soon began making short fundraising tours. In

June 1809

he died suddenly in

Stamford

. At the time of his death he weighed 52 stone 11 lb (739 lb; 335 kg). It took 20 men almost half an hour to drag his

casket

into the trench in the

burial ground

St Martin's Church

. Though no longer the heaviest person in history, Lambert remains a popular character in Leicester. (

Full article...

)

More selected biographies

Featured audio