Sociology

The history of political and social organization has led to the development of both states and nations.  States are the smaller, more locally and culturally bound social groups, and nations are the larger, more regionally and multiculturally bound social groups, encompassing the various states.  As diverse social groups converged and clashed over time, social and geographical lines were drawn around communities, designating one group from another (Bache  Flinders, 2005).  These groups began smaller and grew larger in organizational structure, first considered as tribes, then towns, then states, and then nations, as social links and mutual agreements allowed for the people to work together in increasingly cooperative ways.  A good example of the historical binding together of communities was the agreement between the first thirteen colonies to become the United States.

By looking to minority groups within states, it is possible to gain insight to the dynamics of a smaller subsystem within a larger system.  Minority groups often struggle with the norms of the mainstream in regard to differences such as race, class, religion, and culture.  Smaller groups of people who look differently from the larger group members, act differently, or possess different kinds of belongings are all too often ignored or oppressed and forced to live as a community within a community.  It is this dynamic which often leads to varied social and geographical groupings of individuals.  Finding resolutions to conflicts between minority and majority groups often takes a great deal of communication, understanding, and commitment to social unity.  Just as minority groups function within the states, states function similarly within nations.  States are people who are politically and socially united in their similarities, functioning within a larger nation which is often markedly different from the individual state.  A good example of minority groups in the United States who are oppressed is the poor people in states who often get paid so much less than they deserve.

With the rise of globalization, it is increasingly common for states to band together in their nationality in order to find common ground in dealing within the international community.  As the lines between states become thinner, the power of the nations grows stronger.  People are able to recognize that the weakest link in their own society is the mark of their weakness in the world, and communities have a mounting tendency to want to work together (Elliott  Guhenno, 2000).  Although the smaller states are very powerful now, it is certain that the power of the larger nations will continue to develop and lead to more international communication, trade, and unity.  Two good examples of recent turns from state power to national power is the development of the United Nations, in which nations decided to band together to form an international social and political group, as well as the European Union, in which the smaller countries banded together to form a larger European nation.