ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a conceptual framework that will account for the sociospatial changes among pastoral nomads in the wake of sedentarization. Individualization, or the process of individualism, is understood best by reference to one of the classic, late nineteenth century sociological distinctions—between gemeinschaft and gesselschaft. The view that sedentarization of pastoral nomads is itself an institutionalized alternative enables to regard this process as highly selective and optional. In contrast to the issue of territoriality, that of demographic dynamics and behavior among pastoral nomads during transition has received relatively little attention. The pastoral nomadic phase is governed by a social structure in which nuclear families are strongly influenced by group norms. Pastoral nomadic societies, similar to many traditional Third World rural societies, assume a clear gerontocratic nature, which means that elders have a supreme formal status. The relationships between pastoral nomads and modern states have been dealt with directly and indirectly in numerous studies published in recent decades.
