Travel in Societies with Fixed Social Heirarchies
James Davis Nicoll
the same throughout life, and almost certainly the same as their
parents', does there tend to be restriction of travel privileges
for the lower classes? Are there methods of dealing with the abiguity
of an outsiders social rank which are common in such societies?
James Nicoll
--
"Captain, I can't help but feel interstellar diplomacy is out of our
league."
"Hence the explosives."
Jack Campin
> In societies where a person's social position is more-or-less
> the same throughout life, and almost certainly the same as their
> parents', does there tend to be restriction of travel privileges
> for the lower classes? Are there methods of dealing with the abiguity
> of an outsiders social rank which are common in such societies?
Try the UK (where Hong Kong immigrants are welcome if and only if they can
prove they have more than 100,000 pounds' worth of assets) or the US (where
visitors are not admitted at all if they can't prove they have more than a
certain amount of available cash, expressed in $/day of intended stay); the
method in these cases is for the immigration official to look at the
visitor's bank balance. Or Australia, New Zealand and Canada, which
require immigrants to prove they have a job waiting for them.
What societies are there where a person's social position is routinely
*not* the same as their parents' during life? Capitalist ones certainly
aren't it - and how many travellers come from Melanesian societies with the
"big man" institution, or the tribes of the American northern Pacific Coast?
--
-- Jack Campin room G092, Computing Science Department, Glasgow University,
17 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland TEL: 041 339 8855 x6854 (work)
INTERNET: ja...@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk or via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk FAX: 041 330 4913
BANG!net: via mcsun and uknet BITNET: via UKACRL UUCP: ja...@glasgow.uucp
Mark Rosenfelder
>In article <BwJvG...@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca> jdni...@watyew.uwaterloo.ca (James Davis Nicoll) writes:
>> In societies where a person's social position is more-or-less
>>the same throughout life, and almost certainly the same as their
>>parents', does there tend to be restriction of travel privileges
>>for the lower classes? Are there methods of dealing with the abiguity
>>of an outsiders social rank which are common in such societies?
>
>starting in the 19th century. It is just starting to catch on in some
>parts of the world such as China. In the past you went on pilgrimages,
>or traveled for economic reasons.
You're off by a century at least, I think; think of the trip Samuel Johnson
took with Boswell to Scotland in the 1700's. Of course, back then even such
a trip as that was so exotic that both parties could write a book about it
on their return.
On the other hand, a pilgrimage was not so very different from a vacation
for leisure purposes. Chaucer's pilgrims seem to have been having a pretty
good time.
Steve Thurston
>the same throughout life, and almost certainly the same as their
>parents', does there tend to be restriction of travel privileges
>for the lower classes? Are there methods of dealing with the abiguity
>of an outsiders social rank which are common in such societies?
I would probably say: yes and no.
As far as upper-class restrictions on lower-class movement, probably not
directly (Except maybe for slaves). More to the point, at least in pre-modern
history, the "lower classes" were farmers, and tied to the land. It was the
labor intensive, subsistence level survival which would have dictated a
low travel rate. Not to mention a mind set. Why go to foreign lands in the
first place? You're whole life would be centered around your village/farm/
family, and everyone was, well, just wierd.
But also keep in mind that people DID move about. The shepards of Italy
moved their flocks up and down the Apeninnes. The "nomads" or "bedouins"
of Mesopotamia were shepards as well (They didn't have the camel yet, so
"bedouin" is only pseudo-applicable). Shepards everywhere went where there
would be food for their flocks. In a sense, so did farmers; they just didn't
have to go as far. Although they aren't really of the lower class, you could
probably include merchants, or at least their agents.
If you are talking about "pleasure" travel, then then people probably didn't
see much of a need. Muslims have to be free to visit Mecca, and all those
peasants got slaughtered during the Crusades, and then there are just the
pilgrims visiting various shrines. But vactions and such are a product of
the modern world, where traveling could actually be pleasurable and quick.
So, as long as they got the fields sowed or what have you, then yes, they COULD
have moved around, but on the whole they DIDN'T, because of certain realities
in their lives. We have these same realities. It's Friday, so I might be
able to bop over to Chicago if I really wanted to, but I won't be doing that
this coming Monday, when classes/work begins again.
--
Steve Thurston
ca...@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
Toivo Pedaste
>In article <BwJvG...@watdragon.uwaterloo.ca> jdni...@watyew.uwaterloo.ca (James Davis Nicoll) writes:
>> In societies where a person's social position is more-or-less
>>the same throughout life, and almost certainly the same as their
>>parents', does there tend to be restriction of travel privileges
>>for the lower classes? Are there methods of dealing with the abiguity
>>of an outsiders social rank which are common in such societies?
>Travel for vacation/liesure is pretty much an invention of modern times
>starting in the 19th century. It is just starting to catch on in some
>parts of the world such as China. In the past you went on pilgrimages,
>or traveled for economic reasons.
I did read a book some years ago on travel and tourism in the ancient world, I
don't remeber the details any more but apparently it was not uncommon, after
all Pausanius did write a guide book to Greece in the 2nd century AD.
I do recall reading that the top tourist attaction in ancient Egypt
was not the pyramids but the Collosi of Memnon. These are actually
satues of Ramases (the ?) and one these would emit a scream every
morning (presumably some sort of effect with heating air).
A lot of the pilgrimages that people engaged in during the Middle
ages would be indistinguishable from tourist trips, consider the
Canterbury Tales for example.
--
------------------------------------------------------------------
Toivo Pedaste Email: to...@ucs.uwa.edu.au
University Computing Services, Phone: +61 9 380 2605
University of Western Australia Fax: +61 9 380 1014
John C. Sommerer
I do recall reading that the top tourist attaction in ancient Egypt
was not the pyramids but the Collosi of Memnon. These are actually
satues of Ramases (the ?) and one these would emit a scream every
morning (presumably some sort of effect with heating air).
Colossi of Memnon are statues of Amenhotep III, flanking the entrance to his
(now destroyed) mortuary temple. The Cleveland Museum of Art now has a
marvelous special exhibition "Amenhotep III: Egypt's Dazzling Sun."