Summary of the first chapter from "Selected Essays by Edward Shils" (1970) Conceptual Frame

1. Center and Periphery (1975)
Edward Shils
SUMMARY

2. Society’s
structure
has a center

3. Membership in the society
is constituted by the
relationship with the this
central zone
relationship

4. The central zone is not spatially
located.
It has nothing to
do with geometry
and little with geography.

5. Symbols
Values
Beliefs
Actions
The central zone
is a phenomenon
of the realm of:

6. The society
appears to
consist on a
number of
different
subsystems
economic
status system
polity
kinship system
ecclesiastical system

7. Each of these subsystems
comprise a network of
organizations

8. Each of these elites make
decisions to maintain the
organization, control its
members and fulfill its goals
(goals seldom equally or fully shared by
those affected by the decision)
Each of organizations has an authority,
an elite – single individual or group.

9. DECISIONS
Central Value System
of Society
(judgments and values)
hold sacred
by society
espoused by
authority

10. The value system of any
society is distributed
along a range
denial
affirmation
intermittent or
partial affirmation

11. Elites have authority to
attribute affinity to the
sacred to themselves.
custodian of
the sacred

12. One of the
major elements
of any Central
Value System is
appreciation
for authority
economic
status system
polity
kinship system
ecclesiastical system

13. Appreciation
for authority
Appreciation
for Institutions
ORDER

14. Qualities
Authority
Secondary Values
• Ethic
• Educational
• Familial
• Economic
• Professional
CVS legitimates the distribution of roles and rewards

15. Central Institutional System
Authority and
Coercion
Control of
allocation
of rewards

16. Human beings need to
be incorporated to
something which
transcends their
individual existence
Human beings need to
be incorporated to
something which
transcends their
individual existence

17. Authority has an
expansive tendency
towards the saturation
of territory
Authority has an
expansive tendency
towards the saturation
of territory

18. The more disperse the
institutional system, the less
the likelihood of an intense
affirmation of the Central
Value System

19. The more inegalitarian the
society, the less the
likelihood of an intense
affirmation of the Central
Value System

20. • lose
coordination
• lack of control
• economic
outside the
market
• local market
Attenuated
Central Value
System

21. • growth of the
market
• administrative
and
technological
strengthening of
authority
Contact with
Central Value
System
increased

22. Modern Society
• Unified economic
system
• Political
Democracy
• Urbanization
• Education
Contact:
Acceptance
& Rejection

23. The power of the
ruling class derive
of its incumbency
of certain key
positions in the
central
institutional
system
Centralized control of
appointment
Personal ties
Sense of affinity